Land of Heroes
by Harbinger Of Kaos
Summary: This is my attempt at Halo cross, please respect the fact that i am not entirely familiar with this universe, in which universe  Marvel or DC  it begins in is entirely up to me and you, so with that said lets begin, there will be strong language and gore.
1. Chapter 1

Lands of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or DC (depending on MY and YOUR opinions) or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

A/N: Hello to everyone who is reading this latest story to my collection, I decided on creating this because I am suffering some writers block for my Kim Possible / Darkstalkers fic, hopefully by the end I can come up with something for it, so I ask all my readers to be patient, also I am not familiar with everything Halo but I will try to be as thorough as can be.

Prologue:

Encounters, revivals and more.

In the vast reaches of space, the rear half of the UNSC frigate Forward Unto Dawn, floated aimlessly, with no destination apparent except that which fate decrees for it, however despite logic saying that no one could possibly be inside the derelict vessel given its condition, there were indeed two very important beings inside.

Indeed inside this ruin ship, sleeping a dreamless sleep, outfitted with a futuristic armor of black and green, laid the greatest soldier the United Nations Space Command ever produced, the Spartan II commando, Master Chief Petty Officer John – 117.

The Spartan II program was born out of necessity during the internal strife that afflicted the UNSC expansion in to the vast expanses of the galaxy; at first the change that came was calm and peaceful, but eventually civil unrest and ideological differences caused many to openly rebel against the earth leadership, resulting in the resurrection of the program under one of the greatest minds in UNSC, ONI division, Dr. Catherine Halsey.

Using the remnants of the first program the Orion project, she selected 133 viable candidates from ages 5 to 7; sadly due to budget constraints at least half would be "enlisted" John was one of those chosen, more so he has personally selected by Dr. Halsey due to several factors she had seen in him, one he was a foot taller than other 6 year olds, he was better condition from most children a clear indication of excellent genetics, his reflexes were top notch and he had the uncanny ability to predict the side a coin would land on showing an unusual amount of luck involved, so taken from his home world of Eridanus II and replaced with a clone that would eventually die forever erasing any hope of normalcy, he was inducted into a world few could ever fully embrace as we was about too.

He and the other children were taken to the planet Reach the primary garrison, shipyard and training academy of the UNSC Defense Force, were the many military divisions were located including the elite Orbital Drop Shock Troopers or ODSTs as they were called, men and woman who through the use of Human Entry Vehicles or HEVs, enter the atmosphere for precise landings on a planet, the high risks involved earned them the name Helljumpers as well as the moniker "Feet first into hell.".

Once on the base the children were informed that their lives as civilians were over and that they were needed for the safety and security of the human race, so under the watchful eye of Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, they were trained in all aspects of the military, Mendez was a harsh taskmaster with them pushing them to go beyond their limitations, but he was also fair to the recruits by teaching them loyalty, teamwork and honor, he became a Father figure to the Spartans, just as Doctor Halsey would be a mother to them.

Once fully trained, they were subjected to as series of physical augmentations, that would truly make them into a soldier without equal in the military, virtually unbreakable bones, super human strength and speed, increased reaction time as well as intelligence, memory and creativity, enhanced perception, this abilities were just the tip of the iceberg as they had yet to introduce the armor that would push them over other men and women and signify their place in the military.

However the risks involved with the procedures was just as great as many of the recruits suffered horrifying deformities and deaths which left only 33 Spartans combat ready, the rest were either reassigned to other duties or perished.

John mourned his fallen brothers and sisters, for he had forged great bonds with each of them during training, they were his family now, Mendez his Father and Halsey his Mother, and John was the favorite to them and the other Spartans, he was their unquestioned leader, Mendez was proud to have him lead them into battle for he took his lessons in loyalty and teamwork to heart, Dr. Halsey favored him the most out all the Spartans for his dedication to the cause, even when she sometimes wavered due to guilt of her actions.

John and his fellow Spartans as a covert strike team, went after all threats to the integrity of the UNSC, never giving away their presence to the public, acting in the shadows, however that all changed on October 7th 2525, the day humanity would face the alien combine known simply as The Covenant, whose first contact with the human race was to burn a colony to glass and declare in one single powerful message the following:

"_You're destruction is the will of the Gods…and we are their instrument._"

The following years were dark in did, countless worlds fell to their might, in space the vessels of the UNSC were terribly under classed against the power of the Covenant fleets, and though on the ground humanity made themselves known as fierce foe it was always at a heavy price, that changed when the Spartans, outfitted with Mjolnir armor made by their "mother", engaged the Covenant, and for the first time in their long lives, they learned fear.

Whenever victory over the humans seemed within their grasp, they came to steal it in bloody zeal, it did not matter if they had superior technology, numbers or tactics, the super soldiers bulldozed anything that stood in their way, no fear in their hearts no doubts in their minds, truly earning the name of Spartan, no one gained such admiration and hatred as John did, his feats of valor became the things of legends were made of.

During the terrible conflict John came into contact with and ancient artifact that would change everything they knew about the human race, the Covenant and the galaxy at large, the object in case was known as the Halo, a massive weapons platform built by the precursors of all known sentient life in the universe, the Forerunners.

The Forerunners were an advanced race far beyond what the UNSC or the Covenant could ever hope to achieve, yet for all their advancements and power, they were still victim of their hubris, for a threat of unknown origin came and was ignored as nothing more than a pestilence that would pass, but time proved them wrong, it grew in strength and power, until it could no longer be contained or ignored, sadly it was too late, the Flood had come.

Their battle with the parasitic species was a futile one, every weapon, every strategy, every soldier thrown at them proved useless against an enemy who could adapt and learn its opponents tactics and abilities.

In one final bid for universal survival the ancient people made the ultimate sacrifice, the Halos complex would unleash a devastating wave of energy that would eradicate all sentient life in the universe, themselves included, they made sure to leave behind a legacy of their existence, trusting in their chosen heirs, in this case humanity, to reclaim their inheritance and learn from their mistake, so with that done they perished, and the flood slowly vanished.

The machines they left behind seeded the universe of life, for it to begin a new, however those races who discovered the remnants of the Forerunners thought them gods and worshipped them as such, they created a great empire on those beliefs, this was the origin of the covenant, who upon learning the position that humanity held, ordered their immediate destruction, for if the truth was revealed the Prophets, self – imposed leaders of the combine, they would lose all power, this they could not allow.

30 years of warfare, 30 years of bloodshed, all culminating in one final battle, where hidden truths came out, betrayed enemies became great allies and ancient foes were finally defeated, so many lives were lost some earning a high place in history, but no name greater than the man who led his brethren and mankind into victory, who now in stasis waited alongside his long time companion the "smart" A.I Cortana, created by Dr. Halsey and based off her on mind, who watched over her friend and protector.

"Good Morning John, it is now the 3 year anniversary of the battle at Delta Halo according to my still functioning data links." The A.I construct said to her sleeping guardian, as she had done for the past three years of their wandering voyage through space, she did mostly to keep a connection to something for fear of Rampancy, which lately seemed like a closer outcome for her, but given all they had encountered during the war it came to no surprise to her.

"**Now if only I could make sure he was rescued before I go mad it wouldn't matter.**" She thought.

She had left the beacon on the moment her Spartan when into stasis, however all likelihood of rescue diminished with each passing moment, she remained hopeful though, their track record had proven that when all seemed lost, they would always find some way to pull through.

"Sss…not again." She said as another attack hit her, making her take on a shade of red before subsiding, lately it seemed to happen more frequently.

"I just need more time John, once you're safe everything else is irrelevant." She said to the capsule that held him.

Her requests were answered when the Dawn's still functioning sensors detected a planet in the distance, naturally she was both cautious and overjoyed at the prospect, cautious because given the fact they were in unknown territory it could be a covenant loyalist planet or worse flood infested, still it would mean her Spartan would stand a chance to live, so she made a compromise, she booted up the dormant systems she shut down to conserve energy, and sent clarion spy drones to scan the planet, while she began to thaw out John.

After several minutes, the procedure ended and the capsule opened with a hiss, John stirred for a moment before his Mark VI booted up and administered the necessary stimulants.

"Hey there sleeping beauty, enjoy your nap?" asked with mirth his long time ally and friend.

John replied by giving her the Spartan smile.

"What is the situation Cortana? Are we being rescued?" he asked her.

"Negative on that front John, we've been adrift for three years now." She replied.

"What is it then? Are you all right?" he asked with as much concern was possible for a Spartan to give.

"Well there's good news and bad news John, which do you want to hear first?" she asked touched by his concern for her, though he would not be pleased when she told him the truth, but she owed him that and so much more.

"Bad first." He said.

"Figures, John I am in the beginning stages of rampancy, I don't know how long I have left, but I will try to stay sane enough until you are safe." She replied as she gave him a sad smile.

"I see, what is the good news then?" He said as he bowed his head at her not happy with that news, still he would try to find a way to save her, he promised his friend Johnson to do so, and he always kept his promises.

"It appears that we are drifting towards a planet, I have sent clarion spies to determine the nature of the planet, the data should arrive soon, but if all goes well than at least you can be safe until a rescue is made." She said as she hoped it would help him perk up.

"All right, how are we on supplies and power?" he asked choosing to push back his friends condition to the back of his mind to focus on the current situation.

"Well thankfully we still have a good supply ammunition and weaponry on board, so personal defense is safe, there appears to be a fully functional Albatross dropship, two Pelicans and one Longsword in the hanger bay so in case we have to scuttle the Dawn we can use them as shelter, some warthogs and mongoose are still operational, as for food and water you'll have to check, the Dawn's fusion reactors are still functioning so all in all we are good John." She spoke to him.

It was at that moment the data from the drone returned and she quickly reviewed it.

"John the data the drone sent suggest a rich nitrogen oxygen mix, there seems to be a healthy selection of flora and fauna and…" "Gasp"

"What is it Cortana?" she asked when she gasped.

"John there signs of a civilization there, no visible life forms but their design suggests a Forerunner presence there." She finally said.

Johns mind raced at the possibilities from a functional vessel that could be salvaged from a possible flood infection, still the likelihood of that worst case scenario was a stretch given the fact that the native wild life seemed fine, but then again everything looked fine on the first Halo then…

Cortana though not seeing his face knew he was thinking the same thing as her.

"Is there any way to detect a possible Flood infection?" he asked in all seriousness.

"Negative, the drone wouldn't be able to detect them if there dormant or if there in hiding, still we have a choice to make John, we either take the chance or wait here, it's your call" she said as she gazed at her Spartan.

After a few moments he answered her.

"We go but we go preparing for the worst, I'll start loading up the ships, while you find us a landing zone, get us near a halfway point to the city, hopefully we can something to salvage and maybe even something to help you." He said with authority.

"John…" she said touched by his resolve to help her.

"You will be fine Cortana, besides who else is going to watch my back?" he said with as much humor he could, no easy feat but it was the thought that counted.

_Several hours later_

"We are prepped and ready to go Chief" Cortana spoke from within the armor as they seated themselves in the Longsword.

John had chosen to take the Longsword from a tactical point of view, as it had better weapons and speed than the Pelicans or the Albatross as they were loaded up to the brim with weapons vehicles and supplies.

"All right, all systems are in the green, and we are good, beginning take off." John spoke, slowly the engines came to life and soon lifted off the pad while the bay doors opened, the other vehicles soon followed suit as they were piloted by copies of Cortana.

_Several hours later._

John had managed to land in a clearing the spy drone had found near the ancient city, the carrier vessels landed 5 miles north of his position to ensure less chance of damage should the city prove hostile, so once everything was secure he took one MA5C Assault Rifle and a Carbine which he placed on his back along with several magazines of ammo for the rifle, a pair of M6 magnums, a pair of Covenant Blades, a variety of grenades both human and covenant make, once armed he chose to use a mongoose as oppose to one of the Warthog variants, better stealth and more maneuverability and access as oppose to the larger vehicle.

He rode until he was 1 mile from the city; from there he left the vehicle while placing a NAV marker for later retrieval, he hiked the rest of the way, despite the distance it was a small nature walk to him given his augmented body as well as the boost he got from the armor so fatigue and exhaustion were practically not an issue or him, he reached a cliff that overlooked most of the cityscape and took out some binoculars to get a better view.

From what he could tell from its structure it was definitely Forerunner in design however what caught him of guard was the fact that it seem intact and not just in the sense that was free of infection but that there was no signs of deterioration.

"I don´t understand John, how could it be intact? It´s been thousands of years since the fall of their civilization, how can it still look like someone's still living in it?" The artificial being spoke to her protector.

"Who knows? Maybe there is some Huragok and sentinels taking care of it." He commented, which given what they had seen from the beings and the machines it was a possibility still…

They decided to venture into the abandoned city and see if there was anything that could be salvaged or a means to communicate with Headquarters for extraction.

As they neared the city John got the distinct feeling they were being watched, this left him slightly disturbed the closest thing a Spartan came to fear, and he did not like it one bit, he kept his senses sharp in case of trouble.

He had reached the city´s entrance when his senses suddenly screamed at him to take cover unfortunately it came too late as a small pulsating missile came from seemingly thin air and struck the ground in front of him, the force behind the explosion was such that the armors shields gave out immediately and flung him like a rag doll, his last conscious thought was hearing Cortana screaming his name before darkness took him.

**Several hours later.**

"Guh…" John voiced as consciousness returned to him, he didn't know how long he was out but it felt like years to him, he instinctively brought his hand to his eyes to rub the grogginess out of them, however he was startled when he felt skin on skin contact, he looked at himself and confirmed that indeed he was out of his armor and wearing some sort of medical gown.

That set on edge immediately, it was no easy feat to remove the armor, there were safeguards that prevented that, and then there was Cortana…

"**Where is she?**" he thought with some alarm, however any further thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of someone he did not expect.

"_I see that you are awake at last Reclaimer, good._" The artificial voice said.

He turned to the direction from where it originated from, and came face to face with a monitor, its eye a brilliant green.

"Who are you?" he asked wearily, his lasts encounter with Guilty Spark fresh in his mind.

"_I am Offensive Bias, greetings._" The now identified monitor explained.

John was surprised at this, according to Cortana Offensive Bias was the successor of Medicant Bias after the Gravemind compelled it to rampancy, he was also the one who decimated the remaining fleet of Flood controlled vessel after the activation of the Halos.

"_Is there something the matter Reclaimer?_" the ancient A.I asked after sensing John silence.

"What happened out there? Where is my armor? And where is Cortana?" he asked in hopes of answers.

"_My apologies Reclaimer, the defensive systems I left on after my hibernation period activated when they sensed your arrival, since they had no way of knowing your intention without my guidance they fell back to their default settings to ensure the safety of the complex, you were attack by one of the sentinel major's in the area, after they scanned your body I was awaken immediately, your genetic pattern coincided with those chosen by my creators as their successors, so I set out to heal your injuries, however your internal organs suffered much trauma which forced me to insert within you a experimental treatment to ensure your survival, that is a nano colony of bio Huragok design originally to combat flood infection as well as heal many forms of damage, your combat skin was heavily damaged by the sentinel's missile, and if you are referring to your construct she was removed from the remains of your combat skin, my scans revealed her to be in the beginning stages of rampancy, so she was still salvageable, I was forced to temporarily shut her down, her emotional state was increasing her condition, I had her sent to our repair ward for repairs and if possible an upgrade._" It replied.

John was a bit disturbed by the fact that he now had living machines in his body still if was the only way to save him, he could live with that but first thing first, then there was the news about the MJOLNIR, it was disheartening to her the armor was damaged but came to no surprise he had been in constant combat thus making repairs impossible, but at least Cortana was safe and getting the best help possible to ensure her survival.

"Can I see her?" John asked the monitor.

"_As you wish, follow me please._" It replied.

As they made their way to the teleportation platform John decided to speak to the machine.

"Why were you in hibernation?"

"_It was needed in order to slow down rampancy; I place myself in 100 year interval sleep periods, awaken to take note of any changes then return to hibernation, I was at the half way point of this cycle, when I was awakened._"

"What planet is this?" he asked curious as to why this planet was the one the A.I chose to reside in.

"_This is the home world of my creators, and was once the very heart of their empire, Onasis Prime._" It replied.

That stopped him cold; he turned towards a window and gazed at the city he was in, and to think that this was where the greatest civilization to ever exist came from, a people who managed to forge a technological empire that far outstripped anything the UNSC or the Covenant could ever hope to achieve in his lifetime.

They reached the platform and the monitor activated it, a yellow flash latter they were in another room and another corridor in front of them.

They finally stopped in front of door at the side was a writing he could not understand, but more than likely indicated the room's purpose, they went inside and he saw the various advanced terminals that showed the same language the forerunners used.

They stopped at one pad, and there the monitor shed a small beam of light, soon enough Cortana's holographic avatar came into view.

"John! You're all right." She said quite happy to see her protector alive.

"Yes thanks to our host here." He said as he motioned to the monitor.

"Who are you?" she asked the monitor, though not as weary as John given her time in the presence of both Guilty Spark and Medicant Bias, helping her discern the that not all of them were rampant.

"_I am Offensive Bias, construct._" The more advanced A.I said to her.

"You were the one who faced off against Medicant weren't you?" she asked.

"_Yes, my fellow A.I Medicant after being coerced into Rampancy by the Flood consciousness Gravemind, required my creation, I did what was necessary to ensure the victory of my creators final plan, however I should thank you construct._" It said.

"Thank me? What for?" she asked curious.

"_The data in your memory core indicated your encounter with my predecessor, showing that my efforts to save him were not in vain, and yes I am aware of your protocols regarding your home world, I have not learned its location, and even if I did it would soon become irrelevant given my future objectives._" Offensive spoke to the duo.

"What do you mean "your future objectives"?" she asked, voicing the question on John's mind as well.

"_My primary objectives after the sacrifice of my masters were to ensure the reseeding of life they collected after they were gone, protect the legacy they left behind until you came to reclaim it, ensure you had the means to learn and use the legacy and finally my total deactivation before suffering rampancy._" It said.

"But you look fine, why must you deactivate yourself?" Cortana asked as she found it quite perplexing the monitor's objective to ensure its "death" before giving in to madness.

"_It is only logical that I wish to ensure that my existence ends with the completion of that with my creators sought to protect, should I allow myself to go rampant I put at risk everything they sacrificed themselves for, that is something I will not permit, too much has been lost, I will ensure your safety and safe return to your people Reclaimer, for only then can I say that the mission has been accomplished and my existence held meaning._" The monitor said, and though he was not a living being one could sense the determination it had to accomplish its final request.

Cortana could respect the monitors desire to see his mission to the very end, and John understood what it meant to strive for an ideal.

"So do you happen to have any vessels with slipspace capabilities around?" She asked the monitor.

"_Sadly all we have available are scrap yards, and not enough materials to construct a fully functional ship, and the key ship I used to return here was too damaged to function anymore so it was scuttled, if I had something to work with then it is possible we could create one_." It replied.

"Then we're in luck the vessel with which John and I came through to this region of space was damaged while traveling through slipspace, it may be just what we need." She said.

"_Hmm, I shall need to inspect the remains first, let us head towards the communication relay; there we can observe the vessel in question, construct you have been given priority access to travel through the networks I shall signal you when we have arrived there._" It said.

"Why can't she used her data cristal?" John asked.

"_I am currently having the Huragok and Sentinels upgrading her housing to accommodate her new upgraded status, right now she is the equivalent, by my standards at least, what you refer to as a "dumb" A.I, no offense intended._" It said to her.

"None taken." She replied with a pout, to which John just chuckled.

"_However her housing must be upgraded to not only contain her program but also have the necessary tools to assure her long service._" Offensive replied.

"I see will my armor still be able to keep up with her?" John asked.

"_No it must also be repaired and upgraded first, however I left that for a latter time to focus on healing your body, as you suffered massive internal damage from the missile, how your combat skin withstood the force is quite perplexing, still that is for latter come let us adjourn in the relay._" It answered.

"Of course." He said there would be time to see what could be done for his armor latter.

After a few minutes the soldier and the monitor arrived at the communications relay, Offensive gave the signal for Cortana to join them, he then once again transmitted the beam of light into the advanced computer system, booting it up and commencing the search, it wasn't long that the planets long range scanners found the derelict vessel and began to transmit information to the monitor.

"_Yes, this will do nicely, with the remains of the other vessel here I can have the Huragok and constructors not only rebuild your vessel but improved it as well, I shall send some guardian sentinels to tow it back here to begin immediately._" The monitor spoke.

"What are guardian sentinels?" asked John having not faced that particular class.

"_Observe the screen._" It said as it changed to a shot of a hanger of some sort.

Nothing happen for a few moments until the shot began to vibrate, that was when they saw the cause as a massive machine began to rise, followed by another then another until they totaled four in number.

John and Cortana were in awe at the devices, they were as tall as a 15 story building, and resembled a massive sheathed sword, a large red eye at the top.

"_These are the Guardian Sentinels, used as escorts to key ships, protectors of installation 00 as well as well as heavy artillery platforms during the war, their primary weapon is the energy beam located in the eye, it is capable of melting through 3 feet inch plate of armor with a concentrated beam or atomize 2 miles worth of land with a radial blast, it also serves as missile platform, firing up to 200 missiles of differing yields, except fusion missiles those are reduced to 25 because of their high destructive capacity._" The monitor said casually.

"Talk about firepower." Cortana said.

"_While they retrieve your vessel, we should see your construct new housing and what can be done to upgrade your combat skin to more acceptable levels._" The Monitor said to them.

"Wait; is it possible for the communications systems here to contact Earth?" Cortana asked, as John also turned to look at the machine for its answer.

"_Regrettably no, though there is plenty of power, your current level of technology is not advanced enough to receive the message at our current distance_." It replied.

"Can we bounce it off another relay or strengthen the signal?" John asked this time.

"_It would require an active relay closer to your system and even strengthening the signal runs the risk of causing system wide failure, however I will endeavor to aid as best I can._" The ancient A.I replied.

"Thank you for trying, I would also like to aid in the upgrade of the armor if you will permit me, I have some ideas that I wish to implement." Cortana requested.

"_Very well, however let us adjourn to where your new housing is being constructed." _It said as it floated to the door.

They reached the room in which two Huragok or Engineers as they were known in the UNSC were meticulously working on something; Offensive gave of a series of tones that drew the attention of the artificial creatures they parted ways and headed towards the monitor, John chose to see the new form of Cortana's data crystal.

He was surprised by its size it was at least half of what he originally carried, instead of a blue crystal was a violet one in its place.

"Well I always wanted a new coat of paint, not too thrilled by the size though." Cortana spoke as she looked at the new crystal through the monitor.

"_Actually that is one of the crystals used in lower ranking monitor such as those in the Halo arrays, and will be more than adequate for you, it is also much more durable and resistant._" Offensive commented after finishing its talk with the Huragok.

"Really? That is interesting, but won't that require changing the neural interface with the Chief?" she asked as she addressed the monitor, John facing as well to ascertain the implications of this.

"_I don't believe that will be a problem, the nano colony flowing through his body would provide the necessary adjustments to accommodate the interface._" It said to her.

"Wait, what nano colony?" she asked as this was the first she heard of this.

" _Ah yes, you have yet to be informed, you see when you were attacked by the city's defense system, the Reclaimer's combat skin already damaged nature provided enough protection to absorb much of the impact as it could, sadly his internal organs still suffered severe trauma, he was brought before me in critical condition, therefore I chose to introduce into his body an experimental nano colony of bio – huragok, that were developed during the war with the Flood, it was believed at the time that the Flood could be purged from the host during initial contact, the colony would be tailor made for the subjects DNA and remove any foreign DNA that was deemed harmful for the subject, essentially purging the subject of flood infection, however with Medicant's betrayal at the time, left no opportunity to put the experimental procedure into action._"

"I see, but how does this aid the Chief? Since he doesn't have infection." She asked.

"_I modified them to also repair the damaged organs and tissue, his unique physiology was taken into account, so they also have repaired several micro fractions detected in the metal that covers his bones, the burn out sections of his modified nervous system and any other imperfections that could lead to severe injuries or misshapes, they also serve to slow down his aging and use whatever natural toxins his body produces as fuel for themselves or as resources to convert to restore damage, and should the subject choose, they can be deactivated and absorbed into the bloodstream without repercussions._" It said to the pair, who listened intently to the monitor explanation.

Cortana thought the implications of such a technology could put an end to so many diseases for humanity; perhaps even heal the Spartan II's that suffered such tragic deformities during the augmentation procedures.

John also thought this, many who were damaged by the procedures could be healed, possibly enough to make a full recovery or at least to function in more than just strategic capacity.

"**But first we have to make it back, and for that to happen we'll need the Dawn to be up and running.**" He thought.

"How long will it be until our ship is restored?" he asked the floating machine.

"_My estimates indicate that your vessel should be restored in approximately 4 ½ months, since all resources available will be dedicated to its restoration and modification._" Offensive spoke.

"Guess we got plenty of time to fix the armor and add some new additions to it." Cortana said out loud.

"What are you going to do?" John asks.

"Now John, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you." She said with a smirk, John merely rolled his eyes at her antics.

_4 ½ months later._

Time had gone slowly and peacefully for John, Cortana and the monitor, once the rear section of the Dawn arrived and reconstruction began.

John spent his time training, and adapting to the latest enhancement to his body, they kept him from ever feeling worn out or tired, increased his senses as well, however that was without the aid of his armor, when the time came for the suit to be ready they melded well with the interface, it was also the day he and Cortana received quite shock, one that was very welcomed by them.

_Flashback_:

John was in one of the food courts inside the housing complex that Offensive had cleaned and stock for the duration of their stay on the Forerunner home world, he was dining on a dish made from the local fauna that although he could not pronounced the name tasted quite pleasant, it flavor was reminiscent of roasted chicken, the vegetables were also quite fresh and left a pleasant feeling to him, his meal however was interrupted by Cortana's call to him.

"John, you have to come here quick the armor is ready, and Offensive wants to show us something to." She spoke through the monitor her image appeared in.

John was up in less than a minute he had been anxious and a bit excited as to what the end result of the A.I's work, Spartan's having spent a good portion of their lives in the MJOLNIR never felt all that comfortable out of it, but given the circumstances he had bear with it, as the final results according to them would be worth it.

He came to the facility where Cortana's new data crystal was made, he found it rather appropriate, he went inside and immediately stopped upon seeing the final version.

The suit was still the same height and color but seemed less bulky than before, as he got closer to it he could see the green armor plating thickness was reduced by half, the inner body suit seemed to retain the same shape, he noticed that armored sections of the forearms, thighs and the back of the calves seem to have a glowing out line, on the back were nacelles, the section that held the fusion reactor seemed smaller by at least half, making him wonder what exactly had been done to it.

"Like what you see John?" asked Cortana as her human size hologram, courtesy of Offensive, made an appearance, she could tell from his body language that he was curious as to what had been done to the armor.

"What exactly am I looking at here Cortana?" he asked.

"The result of a month's hard work John, trust me even you are going to love this, don't you agree Offensive?" she said as she turned to look at the monitor.

"_Yes, though we could not give the full range of abilities, the combat skins my creators had, we have made certain that you are fully capable of handling even the most daunting of tasks._" Monitor said as he went to a terminal that activated a holographic representation of several key parts of the suit.

"_The outer and inner shell has been replace with a lighter yet denser alloy used in the armor plating found on key ships, this alloy was designed to withstand heavy impacts as well as withstand extreme conditions of heat, radiation, as well as cold and humidity, the nano weave body suit adds to the armors protective capabilities thus ensuring your safety, the gel was reformulated for this modification ensuring reducing high impact blows more tolerable levels._" It said as Cortana took to explain in Layman's terms.

"These means that you could take a Gauss round at point blank range and still keep fighting, this new alloy also reduces the Mjolnir weight by half, and since it was designed to withstand energy based weaponry, the Covenant loyalist plasma and energy based weapons would be practically useless against you, it would take a platoon to take you down if you stood still." She said.

"_The power plant of the suit is neither plasma or fusion based, but something much more powerful, essentially a small star powers the suit, making you a man sized Dyson Sphere, this was necessary in order to power certain functions in the suit, but there many safety precautions, even IF something manages to breach the containment field or some mishap occurred the pack would shut down all functions and collapse the star rendering it safe, the ship will carry facilities to restart it and repair it. _" Offensive spoke.

"Incredible, what functions require the use of such a powerful energy source?" John asked awed by the things he had seen so far.

"As you can see from the glowing outlines on the thighs, calves, forearms, there can be seen an energy there, these are actually compartments that use was is called flatspace technology, slipspace on a smaller scale, these are used to store items, only the number of items stored are far greater than ever before, the forearms store a pair of high density double edged blades made of the same alloy as the plates approximately 2 feet in length and 1/4 of a cm thick they have been laser sharpened and coated with a refractive crystalline layer so as to divert energy such as shields of energy swords, the back of the calves store booster engines that permit flight for long periods of time using the nacelles on the back as maneuvering thrusters, whether on a planet, in space or underwater, they also served to provide boosted jumps up to 2 to 3 stories high." Cortana spoke.

"_The Force – Multiplying, Reactive circuits and Reactive Metal, have all been upgraded to increase your abilities be a factor of 8, making you stronger, faster and react beyond what the mark VI was capable of, the new circuitry within the suit will greatly aid your construct in processing power by a factor of 4._" Offensive said to the Spartan.

"The shields are three times stronger than before, also the recharge is just as fast, another reason for the new power system, is the optic camouflage we have installed in it, unlike past version this one has the advantage of hours of use without overheating, the only way for to be detected would be for something to impact with enough force to activate the shields, it can't be used underwater though, your helmet has been given several vision modes such as X – ray, thermal and the sound processors have been boosted to act as a form of echo location." Cortana spoke next.

"_Finally it is pressure sealed with 12 hour oxygen supply and a renewable oxygen filter in case of emergencies, it also includes an updated bio foam mix, and this new formula can provide better treatment of mild to heavy wounds, until your nano colony heals you._" Offensive said to him.

John was for what he could consider the first time truly surprise with just how powerful the Mjolnir was, Cortana pick up on this.

"Well what are you waiting for John put it on, I want to check put the new BIOS we installed as well as my new accommodations." She said with a smile as she downloaded herself into her chip.

"You don't have to tell me twice." He said as he proceeded to suit up.

Once done he could immediately tell the vast improvement and power in the suit, on his HUD he could see an icon for the vision modes, weapon, shield, power bars, he grabbed the chip and inserted it into the new slot and felt the cold shiver that always announced Cortana's presence.

"_This is amazing John! The speed and power with I can process information is incredible, and I have so much storage capacity, it's like when I first came online on Reach._" She said.

"I'm glad you're happy with it I know I am." He said to her.

"_I am pleased that you find the upgrades to your liking, now there is something else I wish to show you, for it requires your immediate attention._" The monitor spoke.

The Spartan and A.I followed the ancient machine to the medical ward were John had been place when they first arrived, there they could see a medical table covered in half cylindrical dome, something inside of it, the monitor got closer and proceeded to check peer at a screen that appeared on the surface of the dome, they came closer and peered inside and were shocked by what they found.

"_It's Commandeer Keyes!_" Cortana exclaimed as she saw the person inside the capsule.

Indeed the woman who led several key assaults on the Covenant the most important on Delta Halo, where she met her end by the hands of Prophet of Truth, was inside the capsule.

"What is she doing here?" John asked.

"_The constructers and Huragok found her in a cryo stasis capsule, and brought her to my attention, I placed her here so as to revive her._" Offensive said to the duo.

"_How? She is dead, her wound were too severe too survive._" Cortana said to the monitor.

"_True but the body continues to transmit a low level electrical current even though the brain is no longer active, using that and cloned organs, as well as a nano colony tailor made to her genetic pattern, I can restore her vital functions, however her brain will need time to recuperate from being shut down, thankfully the stasis made sure to preserved her body in an acceptable condition, do you wish me to bring her back?_" it asked.

"Yes, bring her back." John said without hesitation, he may not be able to bring back his friend Johnson or so many others, but this was an opportunity they could not pass up, if anyone deserved this chance she did, she gave her life to stop the Brutes and Prophet from achieving their goals, and was shot in the back by a madman.

"_I'm sure Dr. Halsey will be pleased with this._" Cortana said to him.

"**I wasn't aware the Doctor was connected to the Commander.**" The Spartan spoke privately to his A.I companion.

"_You wouldn't given the fact that she is her Daughter._" Cortana replied.

It would be interesting to note that in the history of the UNSC no Spartan was ever caught off guard so quickly from hearing shocking news, nor ever truly made to gape like a fish, thankfully the helmet block that from the monitor, though not from Cortana, who found this rather amusing.

"…**I see, then she will be quite happy to know this.**" He replied after getting his thoughts in order.

"_How long will it take to revive her Offensive Bias?_" She asked.

"_She will awaken on the day your vessel is completed._" It replied.

_End Flashback._

The day had come and the Dawn was back and better than ever, it size rivaled that of a destroyer and its weaponry surpassed one, the armor was twice as thick made from a mix of Forerunner for the outer plates were 80 cm thick, the rest was Titanium and Vanadium of very high quality, the circuitry and on board computers were given a total overall taken them beyond peak efficiency, the reactors were replace with a energy reactor similar to the one that powered John's suit making it powerful enough for several upgrades such as an energy shield that far surpassed the Covenant shields, as well as a cloaking field better adapted from certain ONI vessels, the integration of two modified MAC cannons, what made these special was the superconducting metal used allowed faster more powerful shots and the ability to fire three shots each, as well as two energy projection cannons on the underside of the pontoons, this fired a concentrated energy beam for 30 seconds, wasting anything in their path, defensive turrets and lasers were added for good measure, along with additional missile pods of Forerunner make and modified UNSC missiles.

He thought the UNSC will benefit greatly from the ship as it would take a good number of vessels to take her down; his musings were cut short by the monitor's voice announcing what he and Cortana had been waiting for ever since they heard of the Commander's revival.

"_Raclaimer it is time to awaken her._" Offensive announced knowing he would arrive as quickly as he could.

He was correct as the Spartan came in only a few minutes of the announcement.

"Is she awake yet?" he asked it, seeing that Keyes was out of the capsule and in the same medical garment he wore once.

"_I was just about to do so Reclaimer._" He said as he turned towards her and projected and energy beam to the temple.

At first nothing happened, but then there was a twitch of her fingers, finally a groan was heard from her.

"Ugh…wh…where…?" she spoke.

John went to her side and spoke to her.

"Easy, Commander, I got you." He spoke to her.

"Chief? Is that you? What happened to me? Why do I feel so tired?" she asked as she tried to orient herself.

"It's a long story, and you have to rest first, trust me when I say it is very complicated." He said to the weary woman who had been returned to the land of the living.

"All right, but I expect a full accounting, soldier." She said trying to muster as much authority as she could.

"Yes ma'am." He replied, with a smile "**Ever the soldier**" he thought privately.

_Later_

"…and after the portal seared the rear half of the Dawn, I placed myself in stasis, then after three years of drifting Cortana woke me up, after finding the planet, we landed got into a bit of trouble, found the monitor and he rebuilt the Dawn, the Mjolnir and brought you back." John said finishing the story of what happened after her "death", except the part where he knew she was Dr. Halsey's daughter, since it wasn't his business.

"Amazing, so the war, it's finally over?" she asked amazed at what she had miss out on, she was more active now that she had a time to adjust, they were currently in the residential area where John stayed, she was dressed in her uniform, replicated to an exact match.

"Yes, for the most part the loyalists are still out there but we got some Covenant factions backing us, the Elites did not take too kindly to the approved slaughter of their people by the Brutes and Prophets." Cortana said in her avatar form.

"I bet, hopefully together we can get rid of the loyalist faction." She said

"And thank you Offensive for bringing me back." She added as she looked at the monitor.

"_I was merely doing what I could to help Reclaimer, now your vessel has been fully stocked and armed, I have loaded the still usable Slipspace lanes that will lead you out of this star system as well as how to return to it, since your people will most likely wish to see study the legacy left by my creators, I have also loaded the codes so as to recognize you as the new owners of the complex, now all there is left is two things, please follow me._" He said to the two humans and A.I, which they did.

They were now in another section of the complex; a lab of some sort, in front of them was two deactivated monitors, one with two "eyes" in a straight vertical line, the other with four eyes in a diamond pattern.

"_As you know, now that I have fulfilled my primary functions, I shall shut down permanently, before that however I must ensure that your people have the means to understand the technology of their ancestors, and have someone to safeguard the masters home world, to that end, I have created these two monitors whose programming is a combination of my own and Medicant Bias, programming and personality matrix._" The monitor said as he projected to beams into the successors.

They activated at the same time and floated towards Offensive.

"_You shall be known as Redeeming Bias, you shall travel with the Reclaimers and aid them as best you can, do you understand your mission?_" It spoke to the four eyed machine.

"_Yes, I shall endeavor to meet all their expectations._" The newly named Redeeming Bias spoke, Offensive made a nodding motion then turned towards the other monitor.

"_You shall be known as Reckoning Bias, you shall oversee that this world is kept safe for the master's inheritors, then aid them in understanding that which has been bequiefed to them, you shall do so for as long as you retain stability, do you understand your mission?_" It asked.

"_Yes I understand and accept my mission._" Reckoning Bias replied.

"_Very well, then it is time, Reclaimer I require your aid in this._" It said as it floated to a pedestal, there it landed and was enveloped in a field of pale blue light.

"_Press the blue button in the center of the console, it will erase my core and render my useless._" It spoke.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked the one who they owed much.

"_Thank you for your concern, but this is what I desire, I have fulfilled the will of my Master's, I have no regrets and am thankful that I lived to see your coming, you have done what my master's failed to do you defeated the Flood, and made certain that their legacy is spread to the rest of your people, and for that you have my gratitude, I wonder though is there something awaiting a being such as myself at the end of my existence?_" The monitor asked solemnly Cortana chose to reply as she appeared in her holographic form.

"Who knows what awaits beings such as us at end Offensive Bias, not even humans know that answer but I believe that it is not end that matters, but the journey to it that defines us and in the end makes us understand who we were, and if we can go into that next phase of existence accepting ourselves and the choices made with no regrets, then maybe what waits us is a far grander journey than what we could ever imagine." She spoke to the end.

Offensive processed her answer and found no fault in the words spoken.

"_Perhaps you're right, the only way to know is to take that first step, thank you for your words…Cortana, now then if you would please, Reclaimer._" It said to John, John nodded but before he pressed the button he stood straight and saluted the machine, the commander smiled at his actions and also saluted the one who brought her back.

"Very well, Offensive Bias may your journey be one worthy of you and know that you have served your creators with honor and dignity." He said as he released the salute and pressed the button, there was no great fanfare or explosive result, only the fading light from the machines single eye, still the ancient technological marvel would be remembered.

_Later…_

"Are all systems ready Cortana? Redeeming?" Miranda asked seated on the command chair of the reborn Forward Unto Dawn.

"All systems are "Go" for launch Commander." Cortana replied.

"_Confirmed Commander._" Redeeming Bias spoke.

"Chief, status?" she said to the man sitting in tactical station.

"All vehicles and weaponry are secured, all bulkheads sealed, and and engines are primed and ready Commander Keyes." He said.

"Very well, Reckoning we shall begin launch have all unnecessary personnel stand cleared." She said to the monitor on screen.

"_Understood Commander, all Huragok and constructors are cleared, you may launch now._" Reckoning spoke.

"Confirmed, begin ignition sequence." She spoke to the two A.I's on the bridge.

Slowly a powerful hum could be heard from the engines, this was followed by a burst of energy as they began to push the vessel away from the platform, higher and higher it climbed until it was passed the city and still it rose into the skies of alien world.

"We have cleared upper atmosphere Commander, and are now in orbital alignment." Cortana spoke.

"Very good Cortana, How is the ship holding up Redeeming?" she asked the advanced A.I.

"_The hull integrity is 100% and holding, shields at 100% and holding, engines working at 100% and holding._" It replied.

"Very good, prepare to engage Slipspace drive, we shall first head to the nearest planetoid, if all goes well then we shall embark to planet Earth." She spoke to her small crew.

They all acknowledged the order, and soon enough the drive was activated and the portal opened in front of the vessel, slowly disappeared into it. 300 000 Km, to the east of their original location another portal opened and out came out came the vessel.

"Status?" Keyes asked.

"We're in the green Commander, all system register no problems." Cortana spoke.

"Excellent, what was our travel time in Slipspace?" she asked the Forerunner A.I

"_6.4 seconds_" it replied.

"Incredible, with this drive we will reach earth in no time at all, very one final test, send a message to Reckoning, tell him we shall now proceed to our final destination, and should prepare for his part in the operation." She ordered.

"_Message has been sent._" He replied and less than a minute later he received a reply.

"_Message has been acknowledged and is preparing for his part in the operation._"

"Very well, initiate Slipspace jump, per Cole protocols."

And once more a portal opened and the war vessel plunged into the abyss.

_Earth – Sidney, Australia__ UNSC HIGHCOM headquarters._

In the office of one Fleet Admiral "Lord" Terrence Hood, the man whose name was on the door could be seen discussing the latest reports and findings by the scientific team on shield world Onix, with him was incredible enough the Ship Master Rtas' Vadum of the Neo - Covenant Navy who was meeting them too provide aid in the research of the Fore runner outpost as a show of friendship and the scientist who discovered and for some time was trapped on the ancient but heavily advanced outpost, Dr. Catherine Halsey, who was on an advisory basis, much to her displeasure, but given the fact that she did leave without authorization under false pretenses, she considered herself lucky that they did not take her out back to be shot, thankfully CPO Mendez and the Spartans vouched for her.

Frankly he could not blame the woman for trying to help her Spartans, he understood her guilt in what they had been subjected to what was taken from them, but times called for desperate measures, and the results spoke for themselves, even now the Spartans were out there keeping order in the inner colonies and keep watching out for the Covenant Loyalist seeking revenge on humanity and the traitors to their cause, they lost many good men and women out there, but the one that always brought a bit of sadness was the greatest of them all the Master Chief Petty Officer John – 117, the hero of the UNSC, his loss was as hard as that of Admiral Preston Cole, the search for the missing section of the Forward Unto Dawn, seemed a waste of resources but Dr. Halsey and the Arbiter insisted that he was alive out there and given his track record he had to agree that was the only reason all UNSC vessel kept an eye out for it.

He was about to ask the progress and discoveries made, when his personal A.I came online with news.

"Fleet Admiral Hood, we are receiving a transmission from the Vega system." The A.i spoke.

"What sort of transmission?" he asked it.

"Unknown all the officers in charge get is a strange series of tones." It replied.

"Then why was brought to my attention?" he asked slightly annoyed.

"Because at the end of the tones, it reads to Dr. Halsey." It replied.

That got a reaction from both the Admiral and the Doctor.

"Me? How curious? Do you have a sample of the message?" she asked.

"Yes, do you wish for me to play it Admiral Hood?" It asked while discreetly looking at Rtas', the Sangheili, he of course noticed but took no offense, it would take many years for his people and those of the Neo – Covenant to earn their total trust.

"**Do you wish for me to leave Fleet Admiral Hood?**" the alien asked.

"No, it could be something involving the loyalists we may have need of your help if so, play the message Churchill." The Admiral spoke, to which he nodded in return and thanks.

The message played out and the Doctor immediately knew what it was.

"Admiral we must respond to this message, it's from one of the Spartans, I know it." She said to him with urgency.

"How can you be certain doctor, it could be a ploy by the loyalist." He rebuffed.

"No, this code is known only to the Spartans, me and CPO Mendez, we must answer, it could be information about the loyalist." She said adamantly.

The head of the earth defenses thought it over quickly and decided to oblige her.

"Churchill inform HIGHCOM of the arrival of myself, Dr. Halsey and Ship Master Vadum, to the communications relay." He said as he stood up from his desk and went to the door followed by the others.

Once they arrived there all personnel stood before the presence of the highest ranking officer and awaiting his orders.

"At ease, who was the one who intercepted the message?" he asked the congregated officers.

"I did sir!" a young woman of twenty spoke.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

"Ensign Rebecca Valens, sir!" she replied in crisp military fashion.

"Very well ensign, how did you trace the source of the transmission?" he asked again.

"Yes sir, I was at my terminal scanning for Loyalist chatter, when my scans reached the Vega system it immediately tracked a signal, at first look it seemed irrelevant, but upon closer inspection I found it repeated itself, I closed in on the signal and found a seven tone message which finished as being addressed to Doctor Catherine Halsey, up till now the analysts can't make heads or tails of it." She said.

"No need, Dr. Halsey knows the nature of the message, and given its nature I assure everyone here that if it proves authentic then it will be deemed both high priority and classified, do I make myself clear people?" he asked the people there.

"Yes Sir!" they answered as one.

"Good, ensign show us to your terminal and assist Dr. Halsey in any way she asks." Hood spoke to the ensign.

"Sir! Please this way doctor." She said as she took the three to her station.

"I still have the location set ma'am, and it is still going strong, though I am puzzled by its nature." She said to the doctor in a respectful tone, she may not be military but this woman was responsible for the Spartans and was one of the most brilliant minds in the UNSC.

"How so ensign?" she asked.

"Well despite the fact that the Vega system is light years away from us, the signal is coming in as it was just around the corner, I think that this signal is being strengthened somehow, but to do that would require lots of power to do so." She spoke.

Dr. Halsey took that into consideration as she analyzed the signal.

"She is right Admiral Hood, someone is boosting this signal to reach us." She spoke to the Fleet Admiral.

"For what purpose doctor? You say it's in a code only known by yourself and the Spartans, so who could possibly be out there, all the Spartans are currently deployed in various sectors, none of them near that system." He questioned as he was quite confused and worried.

"There is only one way to know for sure sir and that is by replying." She said to him.

He thought it over and agreed with but first some precautions.

"Very well but I want every system secured in case this turns out to be trap." He said.

She nodded and the networked encrypted and firewalled in case of attacked.

"Network is secured, sending reply now." She said as the message was sent to its destination.

"Sir, the signal changed, it sending back another message." Valens quickly spoke.

"What does it say now?" he asked.

"It's requesting permission for visual communications with us." She answered.

"Very well put it on the main monitor." He ordered.

"Visual coming in now." She said as the large monitor came to life, what they saw gave them quite a shock.

"Gasp"

"No way!"

"Impossible!"

"I thought they were dead!"

There on the screen were two people the UNSC thought both lost and in one case dead.

"Fleet Admiral Hood Sir! Commander Miranda Keyes, call sign Nightingale, serial number 21561204, is reporting in Sir!" She said with respect and authority as she saluted.

"Master Chief Petty Officer, John – 117, reporting in Sir!" he also said as he saluted.

The Admiral returned the salute albeit a bit weakly as he was in shock at what he was seeing.

"Miranda is that really you?" Halsey asked with a bit of fear that this was a dream or some sick joke.

"Yes it is." She said as she gazed at the hopeful expression of her mother "**Could my death really have affected her so much?**" she thought to herself.

"How is this possible? Johnson video recorder showed you died, you were shot in the back by Truth." She said as she had seen the event after returning from Onix, to her it was just another failure on her part, so many lost opportunities, she thought she couldn't feel any worse than what she had done when she gave her up to her father, but watching her die at the hands of a mad man hurt like nothing ever could.

"I have John and the ally he made to thank for bringing me back." She said at those in the relay.

"How did you accomplish that Chief? And what's this about an ally? And what have you done to your armor?" Terrence asked the soldier who stood behind the once believed dead woman.

"Is this a secure line sir?" he said as his line of sight showed he was looking at the Elite.

Vadum knew what he was referring to, he took no offense by it, and he knew the Spartan was only protecting his people, much as he also did.

"Yes it is Chief; Vadum is with us as part of the alliance we have with the Separatists or Neo - Covenant as they are now called." The Admiral replied.

"Very well sir after the destruction of Delta…" "…And with Offensive's passing and with Redeeming and Reckoning's help we managed to communicate with you." He finished his report.

"Incredible, absolutely incredible, to think that you actually found the very core of the Forerunner empire without meaning too, and the armor looks incredible I can't wait to analyze it, you really are most lucky of your kind John." Halsey said with a smile "**And maybe this time I can finally make up for all the lost time from my daughter if she'll let me.**" She thought privately.

"Well just in case we're transmitting all relevant data to you now Doctor, just in case." He said to her.

"All right, get those data stores ready people I want triple back up's, no screw up's or you answer to me personally." The admiral spoke in a no non sense voice while a flurry of activity was around him.

"_Beginning transmission now._" Redeeming Bias spoke.

"Transmission received, commencing with data storage." One of the people there spoke.

_After some minutes…_

"Transmission is done and stored Sir." Valen said as she observed to proceedings.

"Very good ensign, as for you Commander when can we expect you to return?" he asked.

"With the Forerunner drive we will arrive in…" she was cut off by Redeeming.

"_Warning! Incoming Slipspace portal opening take evasive action!_" the monitor said.

"He is correct Commander, whatever it is its big!" Cortana said.

"Cortana take evasive action! Engage cloak and shield; Chief arm all defensive and offensive capabilities, now soldier!" she ordered.

John was in action before she even finished the order.

The Dawn quickly became invisible and move from its current position, not a moment too soon as the area they were in was engulfed in a large portal of energy, and from it hundreds of ships came out, all of a design they were familiar with, Covenant.

"Redeeming are we still transmitting to Earth?" she asked as she saw the fleet continue to pour out of the portal.

"_Yes, we are using a subspace frequency of Forerunner design so it will not be detected._" The monitor replied to her as she nodded her thanks not only for the answer but to the additional fact.

"Good Lord! External sensors register up to 500 vessels out there, 150 Assault Carriers, 150 carriers, 150 cruisers and rest is Heavy Infantry Transports and personnel carriers." Cortana said with alarm.

"**What is the insignia they bear Commander Keyes? Is it golden in color?**" Vadum asked over the line as he saw no one else was going to by the sheer expressions of shock they were all expressing.

"It is the Red Covenant insignia." She replied as she had already determined the nature of the question.

"**Then there can be no doubt that is a Loyalist fleet.**" The alien Commander spoke.

"Where the hell did they keep such a fleet? The Assault Carriers alone should be next to impossible to have so many standing by and where was it during the war?" The Admiral asked making no effort to mask his anger at the situation.

"**I cannot say, the Prophets kept my kin out of the loop after the assassination of the Prophet of Regret, we were viewed as failures and many of them used as cannon fodder while the Brutes reaped the regards, however I remember after the defeat at the hands of your Admiral Cole they may have kept in reserve many vessel that could be spared should such another incident occur, however with the split between my brethren, the Unngoy and Malegekolo Schism, they may have recalled all those still loyal to the lies of the Prophets and Brutes and now have decided to unleash it against us and your people as well.**" The Ship Master spoke.

"That makes sense Admiral, with less resources they could be planning to even the odds seeing as we our stretched thin as it is." Halsey spoke.

"How soon could our fleets arrive should we recall them now?" he asked.

"Not soon enough I'm afraid, Sir most are out in the inner colonies providing relief or quelling riots by pirates or rebels, about half could get here but it would not be enough to stop a fleet of that size, not even to slow them down." Ensign Valens said as she finished the calculations.

"Ship Master what of your people can they provide aid?" Hood turned to face the large alien.

"**I would have to send word to the Arbiter immediately, but at best half of our ships could arrive and at least give you time, but that fleet will inflict heavy damage before they would arrive.**" His voice grim at end.

Throughout this the Chief was reflecting all variables and strategies, he looked at the star charts they had and a plan could be seen forming.

"Cortana, Redeeming I require your input." He spoke loud enough to be heard over the chatter, which stopped to see what the soldier had to say.

The A.I's joined him at the tactical terminal to see what he required, after a few moments Cortana exclaimed rather loudly the credibility of his idea.

"Are you out of your Mind!" she said.

"_Though theoretically sound in practice this plans does leave much to be desired._" The monitor spoke.

"What are you planning Chief?" Miranda asked, hoping the man could provide a solution to the current crisis.

"I plan to make use of a combination of Admiral Cole's last stand, the raid of Unyielding Hierophant and our exit strategy with the Gettysburg/Ascendant Justice." He replied calmly.

"Explain yourself soldier." Admiral Hood spoke as he did not like the implications involving what is known as "Cole's last stand", as it is a well known fact that though the man succeeded in defeating a massive fleet with just one vessel and a large quantity of FURY Tactical Nuke Missiles, his final fate was unknown, he also read of the incident involving G.A.J and its bout with abnormal Slipspace, but that was the result of a Forerunner artifact.

"Right now a fleet this size must rest before making another jump, also because they must at least know we could have ways of detecting them, so my plan involves both weakening the fleet and making sure that even if they do survive that they meet a nasty surprise, by opening a portal that leads to the coordinates 2819 - 3210 of this system." He spoke.

Doctor Halsey went to the terminal and inputted the data coordinates.

"John that's…!"

"Yes, it leads to a black hole." He said to her, knowing she was not going to take this well.

She wasn't the only one as the Ship Master had to admit that not even the bravest of his people would dare such a move.

The Admiral was even less pleased as he did not want more martyrs in the fight against the loyalist's.

"But that's suicide Chief! How do you plan to weaken the fleet anyhow?" he asked the armored man.

"With a precise nuclear strike." He responded.

"_You must be referring to the 50 fusion missiles in the armory do you not?_" Redeeming asked.

"Yes, since their three times stronger than our FURY Tac Nukes, the will make a dent, also the fleet is unaware of us so they will not be able to raise their shields in time, and even if they do they shall be considerably weakened for the next phase which would be to take them all into slipspace and then leave them near the event horizon of the Black Hole." He explained.

"All right but there is so much that could go wrong, first of all how many missiles do we launch? Too many may disrupt the slipspace portal too little and a good portion of the fleet survives, and then there's the fact that we may be caught in the black hole ourselves." Cortana spoke in a grave tone as this plan had many ways to go wrong.

"Will do it." The Commander said much to shock of those who heard her.

"Commander, there must be a better way; surely there must be some solution to this that will not end in both of your deaths." Doctor Halsey spoke out loud "**Damn it I just got them back and now I might lose them both again.**" She thought.

"If there were more time then perhaps, but if we can make a difference now then we must take this opportunity, you know these to be true Admiral." She spoke to not only her mother but her commanding officer as well.

"All right Commander, do what you must but do all you can to survive as well, too much blood is on those bastards hands, and I will not have more shed for their fanaticism." He spoke to them both.

"Understood sir, we shall endeavor to follow through with your expectations, though I know not if we can meet them, we shall strive to do so, besides we have already cheated death once, we may do so again, so keep a light on for us." She spoke with a grin.

"**May whatever luck you live by Spartan holds out now, my brethren and I shall ensure the threat of the Prophets and those under their banner shall end in your names should you fall, I pray that is not the case as the Arbiter hoped to see you in battle once more not as an enemy but once again as an ally.**" The Ship Master spoke as he saluted the Spartan in UNSC fashion; he was followed by all those present.

"Stay safe, all of you." Doctor Halsey said to them all but looked straight at Miranda.

"I make no promises to you Doctor, Ship Master, but we will try to so." He said as he returned the salute along with the Commander who also looked at the Doctor silently.

And with that the transmission ended.

"All right Cortana, bring up any ship schematics we have on the fleet see where we can hit for more effective damage, Redeeming begin calculations for number of missiles, and multiple slipspace jumps in the conditions we established, John have all systems prepped for the operation." She ordered.

After an hour the preparations were set and the ship in position, they chose to go for the center of the Fleet for maximum damaged as the carriers were around there, it was also the most spacious for the Slipspace portal for the exit and then transportation of the remaining fleet.

"All right on my mark fire 25 salvos into the designated coordinates, Cortana the moment they launched you get us out of here, wait for the emanations to weaken them slip him and we drag them along for a last ride." Miranda spoke.

"_Beginning countdown T- minus 60 seconds._" Redeeming spoke as the clock began to dwindle down to nothing until…

"_5…4…3…2…1…Mark_"

"FIRE!" the Commander ordered.

The Fleet did not see it coming, one minute there was emptiness the next a human vessel appears and fires 25 missiles and disappears into Slipspace, they were so shocked they failed to raised the shields until the first missiles detonated in a flash of energy, the effects were felt immediately as the sections targeted by Cortana though heavily armored against normal UNSC weaponry was nothing against the Forerunner equivalent of a Nuke at point blank range.

A third of the carriers were destroyed as the sections holding their reactors and weaponry were torn through and their cores breached sending more explosions into space and thus more debris were launched and caused more damage, another third was disoriented and ended up slamming into other vessels, the remaining carriers were still functional but their shields to the brunt of the powerful weapons, the cruisers also suffered many casualties reducing their number by half, and they lost all the transport vessels.

Not a moment latter the Dawn made another appearance only this time they opened portal that was as massive as the one used by the fleet, as the new forerunner star reactor was powerful enough to open such a thing, the fleet having no real semblance of control was pulled in.

In the sector established by John as the Killzone for the fleet the Dawn came out at full speed, while the fleet followed, the fleet commanders saw what awaited them as the massive cosmic phenomenon loomed in all its ghastly glory ahead.

"Full power to the engines! Get us out of here before were caught in the gravity well." Miranda yelled to the A.I's.

"Full power achieved we are pulling away, safe distance to Slipspace in two minutes." Cortana spoke.

"_Warning incoming attack, shields at full._" Redeeming spoke before several impacts could be felt.

"Guess those Covenant bastards; want to drag us down to hell with them." Miranda said grimly.

"We are out of the gravity well, engaging drive now." John spoke.

Unfortunately one of the remaining Assault Carriers fired their cannon at them just as the portal opened, though off the mark and weakened by the awesome gravity of the singularity it still headed for the Dawn.

"INCOMING!" Cortana yelled.

"Shields at maximum, brace for impact!" Miranda yelled as the energy hit and actually pushed the Dawn into the portal.

_Location unknown, time unknown._

"Ugh…" voiced John as consciousness returned to him and sat up from his impromptu nap on the floor.

"Is… Is everyone alive here? Commander? Cortana? Redeeming?" he asked.

"Groan" "What happened?" asked the commander as she got off the floor where she was thrown too after the hit from the energy beam.

"I'm here John, a little rattled but fine none the less." Cortana replied.

"My _systems appear to be functional Reclaimer._" The monitor spoke.

"Commander, are you all right?" the Spartan spoke as he help her up and into the chair.

"I'm fine Chief, but I have to ask again, what happened?" she spoke.

"My guess is the energy beam though weakened still managed to hit us, if weren't for the Forerunner shields and armor we would be dead right now." The earthen A.I spoke.

"How is the ship?" she asked.

"_The hull shows no signs of damage, the drive is in need of repairs from stress, there are some internal damage in certain sections, I have deployed Huragok to them and the drive, engines shows slight damage and misalignment sending constructors to correct damage, communications are down, ship efficiency down to 70% _" the monitor spoke.

"Well it could have gone worse for us, Cortana check the star charts see where we are." The Commander ordered.

"Processing… interesting, it appears we are near gamma quadrant of the Sol System just 3 hours away from the outer rim." She asked.

"You mean were close to our solar system?" she asked hopeful.

"It would appear so." She replied.

"All right once the engines have been repaired we make for earth." She said.

_4 hours later, near Pluto._

"We are now passing Pluto and nearing Neptune." John spoke.

"How are repairs coming along?" Keyes asked the monitor.

"_Drive is 80% repaired, all internal damages have been dealt with, and communications will be reestablished in ten minutes, ship efficiency is now up to 95%_" it replied.

"Thank you Redeeming." She spoke.

"Now passing Uranus." John said.

"What do you will happen now Chief?" Miranda asked, taking advantage of the peace after such a dangerous mission.

"I do not understand the question Commander." He replied as he look at her through the visor of his helmet.

"Let's drop rank for a moment John, call me Miranda or Ms. Keyes and what I mean is what will you do now that the war is over?" she asked the man.

"I do not know Ms. Keyes, I assumed I shall do what is ordered of me by my superiors, I assume that there is much need of us to deal with the Loyalists, then there is most likely much unrest in the inner colonies due to the war." He spoke.

"Then when all of that is done, what do you plan to do afterwards?" she asked curious of what he planned.

"Either remain in the military or be discharged I suppose, there would not be much need for me and the surviving Spartans once peace has been established." He said.

"I see…but could you adapt to a civilian life?" she asked again wishing she could see his face to look at his reactions.

"I do not know, but I could try if that is expected of me." John replied though he did wonder if he could accomplish such a thing, he was in the military since his life as a Spartan began, to leave that behind would be quite strange for him.

"_Communications have been reestablished._" Redeeming cut in.

"Finally, contact HIGHCOM; inform them that we are alive and that the threat has been dealt with." The vessels acting captain said to Cortana.

"Understood, sending." She replied however after a few moments she frowned.

"I don't seem to be able to raise them on any channel, Commander." She said to them.

"Are the communications still damaged?" she asked not liking the implications.

"Yes all read that we are transmitting fine, but I'm not picking up anything, in fact we are close to Jupiter I should be able to make contact with the Jovian spaceports, but nothing it's like it's not even there." She said as worry was starting to set in.

"Is the cloak available Redeeming?" she asked.

"_Yes it is._" It replied.

"I want engines at full once we are near Mars, engage cloak, something is definitely not right here." She said, John silently agreed with her.

_Passing lunar orbit._

"We are now halfway point between the moon and in visual range of Earth." Cortana spoke.

"Put it on the monitor." Keyes said as she, John and the Monitor joined Cortana near her holo emitter.

"Gasp!"

"That's impossible."

"This is not good."

There on the monitor was Earth, but the differences told them much, Africa seemed untouched by the Covenant, there was no Cairo Station, no vessels flying around.

"What is going on here!" Miranda asked visibly unsettled.

"This doesn't make any sense, why is New Mombasa intact? And where is the station?" John added.

"Uh guys you're not going to believe this but I just hacked a communications satellite, that from the looks of things seems to be late 20th century make, and well, according to the date we are in the very start of the 2000's, meaning we were sent back 556 years in time." Cortana spoke.

"What! That's impossible how could we have travelled back in time?" The Commander now even more distressed, John didn't show it but he too did not like the implications of that.

"Actually I don't think we were just sent back in time." She added as her investigations showed her some startling facts.

"_Are we in an alternate reality perhaps?_" Redeeming asks though from the tone it doesn't seem like much of a question.

"He is right, take a look at the monitor." She said as images began to run.

"Cortana, please tell me that I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing." She said not quite sure if the images are real or not.

"They are indeed real I'm afraid." She said as the images showed men and women fighting in colorful costumes against others, some seem to be flying under their own power, others firing beams of energy from their bare hands or eyes, lifting objects not even John could with the armor on by strength alone.

"Those are real life, honest to goodness superheroes and villains." Cortana said with no humor in her voice whatsoever.

The Commander summed up the situation in two words.

"Oh Shit!"

John concurred; they had stepped in it deep this time.

To be continued…

A/N: well there you have it, a little OC sure but then again this is my first attempt, also some details are taken from certain fics and given some additional edge, but this is where we get to decide where it will kick start:

In the Marvel verse John would be a bit freer to engage his opponents in traditional Spartan manner, would he kill them? Possibly, but I make no assurances, then there is the fact that it would likely have use for the Dawn as it is home to several alien races who take a shot at conquering the Earth, I should also inform that it would be AU meaning some things like New Avengers including other members, Evolution X- men and so on, I work with what I know and what is at hand so there are no assurances.

In the DC verse it would be a first time anyone has attempted to try this crossover, it would by mostly an amalgam of Comics/JL as I am not entirely familiar with past DC comics but more so with the animated shows, the downside is he would be limited because the characters may not react well to his stance regarding the treatment of hostiles.

Which universe gets the treatment will be decided by the opinions of those who read and review, options are Regular Marvel, Ultimate, DC amalgam (meaning I may just make him a JL founder, imagine the Bat's hissy fit if that happens.)

Now comes the part where things get interesting, that is pairings, now some are going to say why are you pairing the Chief with someone? The answer is because I can and want to, however Cortana shall not be in the running to cliché for my tastes, speak your minds and let your voices be heard, all welcome the good, the bad and the worst.


	2. Chapter 2

Lands of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

A/N: Well the people have spoken, and we have come to a decision, Marvel meet the Chief, I will try to make a DC version later on, in the meantime lets go for a ride.

Chapter 1

_UNSC Frigate Forward Unto Dawn, in high orbit over "Earth"._

Commander Miranda Keyes of the UNSC Frigate Forward Unto Dawn, was currently in the cafeteria of the ship, nursing a cup of coffee, she had yet to take a drink, her mind still reeling from the fact that she, the Master Chief, and their A.I companions were sent to an alternate reality where super powered people existed, she had Cortana and Redeeming collect all pertaining information of this Earth and its inhabitants, and from their they could determine a course of action.

John had gone and checked the sections of the ships that were rattled by the brief yet intense battle with the fleet, so far their were no NEW complications, so she thank her lucky stars they had at least a way to move about in this universe.

"Commander?" the voice of the Spartan broke her from musings.

"Hey Chief, have a seat, I could use the company." She said to him.

He did as asked and sat across from her, luckily the benches handled the weight of the new armor much better than its predecessor.

"How is the ship?" she asked.

"All seems well, the Engineers and constructors made sure of that." He replied.

"That's a load off, so what do you make of our quaint little situation here?" she asked as she finally decided to have a drink of her coffee.

"**Bleaggh! Cold, I does she drink it like that?**" she thought.

"I must admit the idea that we are in this reality with "unique" beings is…distressing but I am dealing as best as possible Ms. Keyes." He replied to her question.

"I see and do you believe we will find a way home?" she continued.

"If you had asked me that before the war, I would have said no, but after everything I have faced, seen and heard, I believe the odds are in our favor." He replied while giving her a Spartan smile.

"I'll take your word for it, me being brought back from the dead serves a good example that anything is possible." Returning the smile.

"**Commander, Chief we have the data ready.**" Cortana spoke through the PA system.

"Well let's see what we are up against Chief." She said to him, getting a nod as they headed toward the bridge.

There they met with Cortana in the Holopad and Redeeming floating next to her.

"Good you're here; we found a lot of information some of which will frankly blow you away." She said to them.

"All right, Cortana, Redeeming what can you tell us of this Earth."

"All right, let's start with the obvious, as we entered slipspace one of the super carriers fired their primary weapon at us, we suspect the combination of the Black Hole and the energy beam acting in conjunction with the portal shot us into a completely different reality, we have as of yet to determine a means to duplicate the conditions involved much less how to return to our home reality, therefore we have focused on learning about what we are dealing with in this one, let's start off with the following." She said as holo emitters showed the previously shown beings.

"Before we do where did you obtain the information? And can it be traced?" John asked, as the last thing they needed was for their presence to be noticed.

"_We obtained from several high level organizations, their systems suggested high level of technology, if Cortana had not been upgraded and I had not aided her, she most definitely had left a trace, the organizations we hacked were the databases of an organization called SHIELD, a group of meta humans known as the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X – men._" The monitor spoke.

"What odd names, is there a reason for them?" the commander asked.

"Yes, now as the information suggests this world, is home to beings often referred to as Meta humans, now depending on their alignment, they either used their abilities, natural or superhuman, for either selfless acts of heroism, vicious criminal intent or remain neutral." She spoke.

"Wait, what do you mean natural? Don't all of them have powers?" Miranda asked the artificial woman.

"Negative, some are humans who have trained their bodies to peak efficiency, many to the point they can rival a pre augmented Spartan." She said and showed images of such people such as a man in a red, white and blue suit and carrying a shield with the same colors, another was a man in a blue and purple suit firing arrows, a man in a black and white ensemble carrying a sword and shield and a skull faced mask, another with in a black and white suit and a target on his forehead

"Impressive." Said John upon hearing that, the commander silently agreed.

"Indeed, these humans also have access to high level technology of both human or alien origin, and yes there are alien species here, I shall cover that part soon enough." She spoke as to forestall the questioning in regards to that fact as she showed of an armored figure in gold and red fighting with someone in a crimson red suit.

"Some of this technology could rival the UNSC in certain places; however this world is still not yet reached the level of space colonization we have achieved."

"Why is that Cortana?" John asked.

"It is possible any tech developed would be too costly, too dangerous or too advanced for the stage humanity finds itself in, another possibility is the threat of other worldly beings taken a less than positive liking to them." She said before continuing.

"Now from the information gathered the super powered set of humans either gets their abilities by some random accident, are subject to experimentation of both the legal and illegal kind, or born with it, those born either have a metahuman parent which transfers a certain set of powers to the offspring or latter during adolescence awaken what is referred as an "X - gene" thus giving rise to was is commonly known as mutants." Again images came forth showing a man swinging through the air in what appeared to be a red and blue suit covered in webbing, a giant green behemoth destroying a tank, then a team which carried an X on certain parts of their uniforms, firing beams from their eyes, controlling the weather or flying through the air.

"Sadly these "mutants" are the victims of constant racial persecution despite the fact that they are human, making some lash out in violence thus adding more fuel to the fire." Now they showed a man in a red and purple suit wearing a helmet levitating a tank, a blue skin woman changing shape, a feral looking man attacking wildly.

John was no stranger to prejudice, he and his fellow Spartans were often looked upon with disdain for there abilities by other soldiers, but their desire to protect humanity often won over many of them, here it seems humanity refused to see that they were responsible for creating this terrorists, not by giving birth to them but by refusing to see that they had no control what so ever over whether or not they activated that gene.

"Guess humanity will always be its first and foremost worst enemy." Miranda said sadly.

"Now not all those working to save or destroy the world are of human in origin, some are either alien, artificial and get this supernatural." She said with a smirk.

"Now is not the time to joke Cortana." John spoke.

"_I'm afraid she is not as we had tripled checked, there are indeed beings down there that are neither human nor alien._" The monitor said as images showed beings ranging from a biker with a flaming skull, a man dressed as a viking swings a hammer surrounded by lightning, or two men battling each other on in a flowing red cape the other in a green and black robes.

"You have got to be shitting me." Miranda said as she viewed the evidence.

"What about the others you mentioned?" John said as he wanted to avoid the headache of trying to reason the existence of the supernatural on this world.

"Yes alien or artificial in nature, you see in this reality a scientist by the name of Henry Pym developed and artificial intelligence for, well let´s just misguided reasons, this intelligence eventually broke free of the control parameters and sought to destroy its creator, with that in mind in created an ally, an android named Vision, however the intelligence named Ultron made the mistake of implanting one of his enemies brain patterns into the android thus when the time came for it to act on his behalf it rebelled, and later joined the heroes." She said with a bit of smile, while she was curious about this interesting development, since androids did not even exist in their reality.

"What of the aliens on the planet?" Miranda spoke as she was curious in that regard, for one thing if this world indeed has an awareness of life outside the solar system then she needed to know on whose side they were on.

"Well one of the most well known ally of the earth was the alien known as Captain Mar – Vell as his name is pronounced or as the people called him Captain Marvel." She said as it showed the man with blonde hair and a uniform of red and black with a star on his chest and gold bands on his wrists.

"He was originally sent to spy on earth by his people the Kree humanoids similar in shape to humans but with blue skin, he was part of a minority of pink skinned Kree, he eventually defected in favor of Earth, but died of cancer, he was very well liked in the hero community." She said.

"Shame, it was much like the Arbiter after he found out the truth." John commented the man must not have had an easy time when he made that choice.

"What of the hostile races?" The commander asked.

"Two big names come up, one is the Kree and the other is the Skrulls, both races have a blood feud that has been going on long before humanity came to be, and once culminated in a battle to claim earth as a foothold in this galaxy, but thanks to the help of Captain Mar – Vell and a young man named Rick Jones, they managed to stop it before it got too far, however while the Kree keep themselves away, the Skrull take every chance they get, their a race of shape shifters so they rely on infiltration and stealth before making any major assault, they have been known to create Super powered soldiers, the most noticeable one is called the Super Skrull who has the powers of the group known as the Fantastic Four." The images showed a green alien with ridges on his chin using flames, incredible strength, elasticity and invisibility; John made a note to study this one in detail.

"All right so basically we have good guys and bad guys, each with origins and abilities that make them stand above the normal´s, are they all separate or are they in groups?" Miranda questioned.

"Well the three groups Redeeming spoke the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X – men are most well known, there are others but these three are the ones who are the most active and also work to help mankind though some of the members leave something to be desired, however there is also the single heroes, most are considered low level crime fighters, though there are exceptions, as for the villains most tend to work by themselves and only work together under a strong well financed leader or to try and combat a common foe, some just work as mercenaries." She spoke.

"Let´s focus on the heroes; maybe one of them can aid us in returning home." Keyes said to her crew, if they could even consider themselves that.

"**Well I'll go down in history as having the most efficient crew ever to serve the UNSC.**" She thought with some mirth.

"Very well the largest and most diverse group by far is the ones called the Avengers." She said before the images shifted to that of the many adventures and mission they took on.

"This group was originally formed by 5 people, Anthony Edward Stark AKA Ironman, Dr. Henry Pym AKA Ant – Man, his then wife Janet Van Dyne aka Wasp, Dr. Bruce Banner AKA the Hulk, and believe it or not the actual Norse God of Thunder Thor." She said as the images of the team back then.

"Okay stop right, are you telling me they had an ACTUAL god in their ranks?" the commander asked completely baffled by such a thing.

"Shocking is it not." She replied with a smirk at her leader's reaction to the news.

"Continue please." "**God I need drink.**"

"The group was brought together when Thor´s stepbrother Loki framed the Hulk for a train accident, a known associate of the Hulk, Rick Jones sent out an S.O.S which the other 4 received and responded too, when the truth came out and they defeated Loki, they remained together and formed the Avengers under the creed of taken on villains no single hero could, however due to internal problems the Hulk left, leaving the others to pick up the slack, however they soon joined by someone that more than made up for it, I think you´ll like this John." She said, gaining a look of confusion from him despite being in armor.

"Meet Steve Rogers AKA Captain America, the first and last **successful** Super Soldier of this world."

(A/N: I know he was not the first one, however he is the only one to come out all right from the program, remember Isaiah took an incomplete formula that left him less than 100 %, do not criticize me for this.)

The image showed the man in a red boots and gloves, blue pants, and a long form fitting shirt in the same colors and motif as the American flag a large white star on his chest, the mask had wings on the side and a large A on the front, with him was a circular shield again in the same patriotic theme as the uniform.

"The program titled Operation Rebirth, was meant to create an elite fighting force of physically superior soldiers to fight the Third Reich during WWII who also sought to do the same, this where Rogers enters, he was originally rejected from the recruiters office, but a General noticed how much the young man desired to aid his country, therefore he enlisted him into the secret program, headed by the scientist Abraham Erskine."

"How ironic that the Americans would succeed where the Germans failed." The Chief commented.

"Indeed, Rogers was injected with a secret formula then bombarded under controlled conditions by "Vita - Rays", the effects were immediate as his body went from frail to peak human condition, however because of a Nazi spy killing Erskine who had the formula memorized, he was the only subject to be produced, it was revealed that previous subjects were exposed to only half the procedure but this led to severe mental problems, and as for current attempts the results have been mixed at best, however should he have existed in our reality I have no doubt he would have made a fine Spartan." The A.I said.

"Wait, I just realized you said that this procedure was done during WWII, so how is he still alive today?" Miranda asked.

"_It would appear that on one final mission before the closing of the war, his country´s enemies created a crude atomic explosive, he along with his partner went and intercepted the device, however though the managed to divert it, it was armed with a trap, they were over the northern hemisphere and with no choice would have to bail, however only he made it out and because of the enhanced nature of his body was placed in stasis, the Avengers found him and revived him, he has been a member ever since often leading them into battle._" The monitor spoke.

"The group has taken on members from many differing backgrounds; some are monarchs, some aliens, robotic and even reformed super criminals." Cortana added.

"I see, so these heroes the Earth´s first and only line of defense?" The Commander asked.

"They are the most organized and largest but there are others, take this group called the Fantastic Four." She spoke as images showed a quartet, two men, one woman and a being that appeared to be made of orange rock.

"This group is primarily a scientific and exploration faction; however they have helped protect the world from threats from within and from beyond." She spoke as it showed them using their abilities to fight from a gigantic armored being, a threat from underground and an armored man.

"They obtained their powers when testing an experimental spacecraft, however due to faulty shielding the four were subjected to cosmic radiation which altered their bodies in ways we could not even begin to understand, here are the members."

The first image showed a man in a blue and black uniform, an encircled four in the center, he appeared to be in his thirty´s, brown hair that grayed on the bottom.

"This is Dr. Reed Richards AKA Mister Fantastic, the primary leader of the four, he is considered to be the world´s greatest scientist and explorer, even before the accident, he was well versed in several scientific fields, however he has expanded upon being empowered, he has made several major and valid discoveries regarding alternate dimensions, time travel, genetics and space exploration, I say he is our best bet to get home." The A.I spoke.

"What are his abilities?" John asked.

"His body is capable of stretching and compressing to unknown lengths any part of his body; he can shape his hands into maces or hammers and increase his mass for additional strength, and his style of combat is designed around his powers, however he is by far more a strategist than a front line fighter, and prefers to outwit his opponents rather than face them, moving on."

The next image showed a blonde woman in a similar uniform.

"This Susan Storm Richards AKA the Invisible Woman, the second in command of the group and often considered the heart and soul of the team, she is the wife of Dr. Richards as well as mother to her children Valeria and Franklin, according to the information gathered she is the most powerful member of the four because of her gifts, which is the ability to mentally create and shaped psionic force fields, that she uses to either render herself or others completely or partially invisible, and to create construct or different shape and density so long as she maintains concentration."

The next image showed a young man, blonde and again similar uniform.

"This young man is Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm AKA the Human Torch, he is the younger brother of Susan, is the youngest member of the group and has a knack for getting into trouble, though the only one to never lead the group he contributes by working on the vehicles they used, he has a rather peculiar relationship with the team´s front line fighter The Thing, it shifts between hostility and brotherhood depending the situation, he also is a bit o a womanizer so you better watch out for him Commander." She said to her leader, getting a snort in return.

"He is a pirokinetic, capable of engulfing his body in super heated plasma, this grants him flight in oxygen rich environments, he can manipulate external flames as well as absorb and redirect them, and despite his seemingly childish mindset he has a wide spectrum of knowledge when it comes to his powers, making him a rather unique combatant."

The final image showed the hulking figure with orange rock like skin.

"Finally we have Benjamin Jacob Grimm AKA the Thing, he is Reed Richards oldest friend, they met in college were they were roommates, he as a rather colorful past, he is former street gang member, however when his older brother Daniel died as a result of a gang fight he changed his ways, he gained a football scholarship and later several advanced degrees in engineering, he joined the marine corp. and became a test pilot and later an astronaut for NASA on a side note he is Jewish."

"Why did you include that?" Miranda asked the rather unique A.I

"No reason." She replied before continuing.

"Ben´s physical appearance and abilities are the result of the accident; he possesses high levels of superhuman strength, stamina, and resistance to physical injury, surviving impacts of great physical strength even you with the armor could not chief, on occasion his powers have been removed thus returning him to human form, however despite this he chooses to fight alongside his friends and has also willingly reverted to his monstrous appearance in order to defend them, he has a long standing rivalry with the being known as the Hulk."

"So this group has the most experience when it comes to inter dimensional travel, we will have to tread carefully if we wish their help." John said as he processed the information.

"I would be more worried about this man than the team." Cortana said as she showed an image of an armored man in a green suit, cape and hood.

"This colorful fellow is Victor Von Doom AKA Dr. Doom; he is a long standing rival of the group, particularly Reed Richards, whom he blames for an accident that caused him to be removed from the college where they met and disfigured him, reports indicated that Richards had previously warned him of the dangers but was ignored, in his view he believes that his rival sabotaged the experiment, he is Reed´s equal in intellect surpassing him only in his knowledge of the occult, he rules over a eastern European country known as Latveria, ironically this grants him diplomatic immunity thus he cannot be persecuted for his crimes, should he become aware of our technology he most likely will attempt to take it by force, do not underestimate this man." She said in a warning tone.

"Compile all information on him, I want to be prepared in case he tries something, immunity or not, he tries something you have my permission Chief to terminate him with extreme prejudice." The Commandeer spoke in all seriousness.

"Understood Commander." the Spartan replied.

"All right who do we have next on the list?" The commander said.

"_That would be the X – Men, they are a group made up mostly of mutants who use their abilities to defend humanity from others of their kind who do not share their ideal of peaceful coexistence between the normal humans and the naturally enhanced population, however on occasion they tackle certain interplanetary threats as well as supernatural ones._" Redeeming said to its audience.

"They were originally formed by Charles Xavier AKA Professor X, a mutant telepath of the highest order, he used his family estate as the base for a school designed to harbor and teach young mutants how to control their abilities as well as teach them to used their abilities for good, most of the students are runaways and outcasts, as their families reject them out of fear or hatred, while others are located by Xavier and are asked to join." The A.I spoke sadly at that thought of those rejected by their loved ones.

The images showed a man bound to a wheelchair or hovercraft, always wearing attire one would expect from a professor, despite his age he had no hair on his head, he could be seen conversing with various students and very important people, some even in the hero community.

"Fools, how can they reject them just because they have no control over their genome? They can no more control that then I can control the weather." The Commander said out raged at the thought of such blatant discrimination.

"Yes, however those students are also given the opportunity to become X – men should they choose to do so, in fact the first students were the very first X – men, this are the most noted according to the data, take a look."

The first image should a man in various uniforms firing optic blasts from his eyes through a yellow visor.

"This is Scott Summers AKA Cyclops, he is the primary field leader of the group, he was one of the first to become a member of the school, his mutant power is to fire concentrated blasts of concussive energy of great force, however he cannot control it due to brain damage he suffered as a child."

The next should a red haired woman in various uniforms manipulating objects from a distance.

"This is Jean Grey Summers AKA Marvel Girl AKA Phoenix, she is the wife of Scott Summers, and was the second to join the Institute, she has a rather interesting profile, her mutant powers are primarily Telepathy and her secondary power is Telekinesis, however she was once bonded to a cosmic entity known as the Phoenix, granting her incredible abilities, she has not manifested any currently but it has been the source of many conflicts with an alien race known as the Shi'ar, who both worship and fear the being, and have often come to blows with them and others, I recommend we be careful around them should contact occur." Cortana said.

"I will take it under advisement, continue please." Miranda said while John made a note to study this race just in case.

The next image showed a man made of ice.

"This is Robert Louis Drake AKA Iceman, he was the youngest to join the school he possesses the power to radically decrease the temperature of ambient water vapor in his immediate environment, thereby freezing it into ice, his body can also regenerate after suffering diverse forms of damage, due to the nature of his powers he is considered one of the most powerful mutants on earth however he limits himself for fear of losing control."

The next images showed a man with an ape like appearance, then with a more bestial appearance with grey and blue fur.

"This is Dr. Henry Philip "Hank" McCoy AKA Beast; he is the resident Scientist of the group he is in expert in diverse fields of genetics, physiques, mathematics etc., his mutation has taken on diverse forms from simian like to more bestial in nature, he has superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, agility, flexibility, dexterity, coordination, balance, and endurance. He is equally dexterous in all four limbs; able to perform tasks with his feet or hands with equal ease."

The next image caught them a bit off guard, a man with white feathered wings on his back; however the next showed a more menacing form, with metallic wings as well as blue skin.

"Here we have Warren Kenneth Worthington III AKA Angel AKA Archangel, he is a multi billionaire and in many ways was the first to use his abilities to help people, at first there was internal conflict between himself and the other founding students, but in time he warmed up to the others and vice versa, however he also suffered a traumatic event when one of the groups enemies called Apocalypse captured him and deliberately tampered with his body giving him blue skin and replaced his organic wings with the metallic ones, after he was freed from the control placed on him he called himself Archangel, during this period his metallic wings could be used as weapons as they could cut through most anything as well as fire of his feathers, however his natural wings returned and his complexion due to a secondary mutation that allows his blood to heal his body as well as that of any person with a compatible blood type."

"Chief, remind me too compile a list of all potential hostiles on this world." Cortana said to her guardian.

"All right but also try to see if we can upgrade the armor for any of these beings abilities, something tells me that any hostile action with them may not end well for me given the nature of their powers." He replied.

"We are not going to start something are we?" the Commander asked.

"No Commander but I rather be prepared in case things go south, I may not be able to handle all threats but that doesn´t mean I should not anticipate possible encounters." John said to his superior.

"Very well, Cortana is there anyone else we should know about within the X – Men?"

"All right here we have Ororo Munroe AKA Storm." She said as an image of a beautiful black woman with long white hair appeared again in diverse uniforms.

"She was pick pocket in Cairo when Xavier found her and freed her from the clutches of a physic entity known as the Shadow king, for most of her life she has been revered by her people because of her abilities to control the weather, however she is not arrogant because of it but considered gentle and kind to many who have friendly relations with however just like mother nature she can show a rather nasty side to those who threaten her and her friends and family."

The next image showed a woman with long brown hair with a white streak in the middle of it in a green and yellow skin tight outfit and a leather jacket.

"This is Anna Marie AKA Rogue, she has a rather colorful history, she was chased off her home when her mutant powers first manifested, you see she has the ability to absorb the life force and memories of whoever she has direct skin contact with, in the case of super powered individuals she can duplicate their powers, the longer she holds on to them the longer they last, she was found by known mutant terrorist Mystique and used to face many heroes such as the Avengers and the X – men, in one altercation she absorb the powers of the Avenger Ms. Marvel permanently, however when the many psyches she had absorb grew too much for her she sought out help from Xavier, the team was weary of her but eventually she earned her place among them, she has a rather curious relationship with the X – man called Gambit."

The next image showed a man in a brown overcoat covering black and violet shirt, black pants and shin guards, he had a staff and glowing playing cards, the most noticeable feature was his eyes, his iris were burning red and his sclera were pitch black.

"This quaint character is Remy Etienne LeBeau AKA Gambit; he has the power to convert an objects potential energy into kinetic energy and making sure it goes out with a bang, depending on the objects size, the charging time will vary hence why he uses small objects such as playing cards as weapons, he is also an excellent hand to hand fighter given the fact that his powers grant him greater agility and dexterity, they also render him immune to detection by telepathic means, he is also a very accomplished thief, so be careful around him guys."

The next image showed a man wearing different uniforms that with the same motif, large diamond shape pieces over the eyes, he had metallic claws over his hands that turned out to be coming from his body as evidenced by the images of him fighting out of uniform.

"And finally we have this charming fellow who is simply called Logan AKA Wolverine, and he has quite the interesting file, turns out that most of his past is unknown even to him, except for the event that has more then left a mark, that is his capture and illegal experimentation by a covert weapons program searching for a means to creating living weapons, according to the information gathered, his mutation gave him three foot long retractable claws that appear above his hands, enhanced senses as well as an accelerated healing factor that heals him of most wounds as well as poisons both natural and not and grants him other benefits including a long life span, there are ways to circumvent it but they do not last long, however against his will he was enhanced by having his entire skeleton molecularly bonded with the element known as Adamantium, a metal said that is virtually indestructible, whether this is true or can only be confirmed by obtaining a sample of it, this metal allows his claws to cut through anything except the metal itself or other objects of greater properties such as the shield of Captain America, however there are setbacks to this as it has rendered him highly vulnerable to magnetic and electric attacks, such as when the mutant known as Magneto literally ripped it out of his body, he survived and was later re enhanced against his wishes by Apocalypse, he has great resistance to physic attacks, he is a known master many forms of combat, personality wise he is a loner though not adverse to work with those he trusts, still he has often gotten in trouble with others in the team and as well as other heroes for his willingness to cross the line they do not, as well as authority figures."

"Great, I´m sure he will taking a real liking to you Chief." Miranda said sarcastically.

John just gave a shrug; if the man could not act civil towards them then it was of no importance as he had dealt with less desirable soldiers in the past.

"All right who else do we have on file that we should look out for Cortana?" He asked his long time companion.

"Here are two noticeable individuals, lets with the most dangerous shall we." She spoke as images of an Emerald green giant destroying military vehicles and buildings as if they were toys filled the room.

"Here we have the Hulk, or as he is known when not throwing the mother of all temper tantrums as Dr. Bruce Banner, Banner was a scientist in the field of nuclear radiation, more precisely Gamma radiation, during the testing of a bomb of his design he left the safety of the bunker to save a teenager unaware of the impending explosion, he managed to get the boy to safety but the bomb detonated before he could do the same, exposing him to massive amounts of radiation, somehow he survived, however according to the boy, Rick Jones Banner transformed into the Hulk for the very first time, from then on he has been the subject of constant persecution from both the military as well as those who wish to obtain the power he possesses." Cortana paused to let them digest that.

"I´m assuming these persecutors wish to use the Hulk as a weapon of sorts?" the Chief asked.

"_That is correct, the military deems him either a menace or tool to be used, they have also made numerous attempts to duplicate the accident that gave rise to the creature, all have failed miserably and in worse cases given rise to more threats sometimes the being they chase must resolve, according to all known information though some of these Gamma mutants as they are called are initially stronger than Hulk and retain their intelligence, they all meet defeat at his hands for his ferocity and unlimited strength, you see his strength, speed and stamina is directly proportional to his anger, the more angry he gets the more powerful he becomes, any victory achieved over him is not without cost, up till now the only recorded victory over him that did not result on heavy losses for the victor was against the Inhuman known as Black Bolt, who through the uses of his destructive vocal cords and bone shattering strikes defeated the being easily, however he also has a powerful healing Factor that rivals that of the mutant Wolverine, that too increases with his anger healing terrible wounds in mere moments, also his hide can only be penetrated with either sharpened titanium or adamantium, anything else requires extreme force to do so, exercise extreme caution should you encounter him Reclaimer._"

"Send me everything we have on him, if a confrontation occurs while we are here I need to devise some strategy against him, also see if we have anything in the arsenal that can help in a fight against him." John said to the A.I´s.

"Already working on it Chief."

"_As you wish Reclaimer._"

"All right who is the last on this list you have compiled?" The Commander spoke.

The final images showed a man swinging through skyscrapers in a red and blue full body suit with a web patterned motif.

"Here we have Peter Benjamin Parker AKA Spider – man, he is the son of deceased CIA agents Richard and Mary Parker, they died when he was just a toddler so he was raised by his Uncle Ben and Aunt May Parker, he is one of the few to start his heroic career during his teens if the information is accurate, he has often stated that his powers were derived from a irradiated Spider that bit him altering his genetics so as to mimic it, such as wall crawling, proportional strength, speed and agility as well as a sixth sense he call "spider sense" that warns him of impending danger, he has genius level intellect as evidenced by a large array of devices he has personally built to aid his crime fighting activities as well as the webbing he made that he uses to transport himself around the city and fight his enemies, no one not even SHIELD is sure why he began to fight crime but it is speculated that it had to do with the death of his Uncle during a carjacking, he now splits his time with teaching, his freelance photography, his wife and aunt and his super heroic life."

"Whoa! Talk about multi tasking, how those he find the time to do all that?" Keyes spoke in awe of the man.

"Unknown, but trust me when I say many heroes ask him that same question, moving on, despite many incidents where he is seen aiding people or stopping crime, he is often the victim of persecution and slander by the media, or more precisely, the Editor In Chief of the Daily Bugle J. Jonah Jameson, this has turned most of the city against him, yet still he continues to fight the good fight, he also has connections to many in the hero community, he is best friends with the Human Torch, he has aided the Avengers and X – men, and has both help and faced the Hulk on occasion, he is mostly a loner by nature, as evidenced when he rejected membership into the Avengers, he also has more enemies than all others combine, mostly because their also enemies of the groups, he is often the underdog, facing off against smarter, stronger foes whether alone or in groups, his worst enemy by far is the man known as Norman Osborn AKA the Green Goblin, he had the hand in the death of Gwen Stacy, his first girlfriend, he had him cloned to cause him to suffer an identity crisis and then caused his wife to miscarriage, there is only hatred between the two, so if you see those two in the same room you can bet it will get ugly." She finished sadly.

"Damn, I'm amazed he hasn´t killed the man after all that." The Commander said to those present.

John nodded to that, this man obviously had a great restraint if he could still allow such a foe to live, personally should he encounter this man he would put him out of everyone's misery, whether others approved or not, men like this Osborn deserved such an end after committing such terrible acts.

"Well those are the highlights for now, me and Redeeming shall continue to compile all information, in the meantime I think we should set you two up for the long haul while we are here." Cortana said with a look that John just knew was going to cause him no end of grief.

"Oh what did you have in mind?" The Commander asked not knowing she was about to set up for trouble.

"Well first off you two need to get out of the ship, it is not healthy for you to be cooped up here, I know this isn´t our Earth but that doesn´t mean you shouldn´t enjoy it, I mean let´s face it when was the last time you guys had shore leave?"

"I suppose there is no harm in that, what do you think Chief?" the daughter of Dr. Halsey asked the Spartan.

"I have no qualms except about leaving the armor and encounters with the less savory characters in this world." He replied in an even tone, though his partner knew where he was coming from in regards to the armor and the necessity for safety in regards to the hostiles of this world.

"Chief no offense, but I think you need to mingle with non Spartan personal more, I know you and the others have trouble staying away from the MJOLNIR for extended periods of time, but it is for the best, besides I think you look good with a tan am I right Commander?." Cortana asked her leader with a wink in the eye.

"Oh no, I'm not getting involved in a lovers' quarrel, you two figure it out." Miranda said with a smile as Cortana pouted and John just slightly slumped, causing her to give off a small laugh at their reactions.

"All right but we need a way to figure out how to get the armor to me should I encounter any hostiles, and given the way the act in this world there is a good possibility for it." He replied.

"All right, I think I have a way but we have to work on the math first, right now we need to secure you two new identities, a base of operations as well as some income, luckily I have a plan." She said in a way that had in no shape or form the possibility of mischief.

"**She has that look again.**" The Spartan thought glumly.

_Two weeks later on the outskirts of Manhattan._

John was currently driving into the city in a modified Warthog, in this case the civilian 2553 model that Cortana had built using Forerunner matter replicators, constructors and Huragok, he could see as he passed other cars on the road that he was getting quite the attention, he would have frown at this but he knew deep down that if he was going to drive from the house to the city he would do it in something he felt comfortable with, it may not be the military version but that didn´t mean he wasn´t happy with the results, the Commander agreed as she too had taken the vehicle out for a spin and was very pleased, saying she was hoping to get one once the war was over, it was painted jet black and as an added necessity doors were added, of course whenever asked where he got it he just said he built it from scratch.

However there certain add-ons that you would not find in every civilian vehicle, such as a powerful GPS tracking system hook up to the Dawn as well as an array of satellites they released to keep an eye on things, holographic communications display, voice activated starter, a hidden compartment where he kept some personal weaponry, cloaking field generator, and voice activated shields, and was powered by hydrogen fuel cells, making it the cleanest most advanced vehicle on the planet.

Cortana had procured funds by "borrowing" them from several criminal and terrorist organizations who would not miss them, she also made sure to alert the agency responsible to future activities they took, just because this was not their Earth meant they were not still bound to defend it from all threats, so once they were secured financially, she and Redeeming gave them alternate identities, a simply thing when one has an advanced technological marvel and cunning mind to help, since computers governed all aspects of life in this era, they simply created an iron clad trail, thus John Mendez Halsey and Miranda Keyes Halsey were born, so to speak, on paper they were half siblings, same mother different father, with they being orphaned in tragic events and finding each other through a government sponsored welfare center, Cortana originally thought to make them husband and wife but Keyes was not amused by the idea.

Her words were "No offense Chief, but you just aren´t my type."

He and the Commander lived in a small town called Bayville in a two story colonial house on the edge, it was a quiet community, and despite the looks he received because of his pale complexion, having spent many years in the armor that he wore proudly into battle, he was never bothered many just assumed he was an albino or he was some sort of hermit, although many women gave him plenty of looks when he walked the streets, and why would they not? Despite his skin tone he had rugged handsome features thanks to years of training and constant combat, the nano colony in his blood also helped maintain his body in perfect working condition, his body showed strength, power and confidence in the way he moved, he had warm brown eyes that conveyed a story to all those who looked into them, one of pain, tragedy, pride and determination, this always got a laugh from Cortana and Miranda as they could see that he was oblivious to the way women reacted to his mere presence, the joke because of the side effect of his augmentations reduced his sexual drive, thus all attempt to gain his attention simply were politely ignored.

This was not his first visit into the city as he and Commander Keyes both had come to familiarize themselves with the environment, needless to say they were not impressed, it was loud, dirty and smelled, but given what they left behind they could not be blamed, their only hope was to find a way back, and for that they may require external help, however they had yet to come up with a solution for contact with the heroes, ironically they had yet to see any of them.

John was currently heading through the entry into the large metropolis when he felt a tingle in his ear, which meant the Commander or Cortana wished to speak to him, it was ingenious really, by using the colony as a two way communication relay, one concentrated to his ears the other to his voice box, he could communicate with them from any where without fear of being tracked.

"_Hey John, have you made it into the city yet?_" The voice of Cortana spoke.

"I'm entering now, is there something you need or just checking up on me?" he asked with a bit of an amused smile on his face.

"_A little of both really, the Commander asked me to remind you to bring some milk and eggs, and there are reports that several super criminals recently broke out of Ryker Island, so be on your guard John. _" She informed him.

"Thanks for the update Cortana, anything else I should know?" he asked as he stopped at an inter section on West and Madison.

"_You will be glad to know, that several of your admirers have asked your "sister" for advice on how to court you._" She replied and through her voice could tell she was very amused with the situation.

"And what did she say?" He asked both curious and a slightly annoyed, though maintaining that calm he exhibited in battle.

"_Get you nice and loaded and have their wicked way with you._" The sound of her laughter could be heard through the link.

"**How did Maria - 062 deal with all this?**" The Spartan asked himself at hearing the Commander's rather "unique" response.

"I'm glad you find this amusing, now if you'll excuse me I have some shopping to do, 117 out." He said to his partner.

"_Have a good day, Chief, and watch out for the ladies, they may take her advice._" She replied before cutting communications with her getting on last .

He turned on the radio to see what news could be heard on the breakout, it was mostly to keep himself informed, as it would not do to be caught with his pants down should he encounter the hostiles.

"_...and continuing where we left off the identities of the criminals who escaped the maximum security wing of Ryker Island has been confirmed to be several men known to clash with the masked vigilante known as Spider – man, they are the Rhino, Shocker, Scorpion and Hidro – man, how they managed to get out is still unknown, but it is believed that this four planned it for some time, their current whereabouts is unknown but police are making an extensive search for them, please remain calm and should you encounter them we ask not approach them and inform the authorities as soon as possible._"

John filed away the names as well as recall what the information they had on each of the individuals, his enhanced mental faculties already working on possible strategies should an encounter occur, which incidentally…

"CRASH!"

"SKREECH!"

The sound of something heavy and metallic crashing filled the air, as a NYPD car suddenly landed upside down some 10 feet in front of him, thankfully it was empty, he got out to see if anyone else was hurt, but besides getting a scare the people nobody was injured, so with that down he went back to his own vehicle and pulled it into reverse and headed to an abandoned, once parked he tapped a few keystrokes and activated the display and in a few seconds Cortana appeared followed by the image of a worried Commander Keyes, she was right in assuming such a stance because they agreed only to activate such a setting in case of emergencies, this clearly was such an occasion.

"_What the matter Chief?_" The Commander asked.

"A police car just landed ten feet from my own; I need to know what is going on Cortana." He said in tone she recognized as him in a soldier mentality.

"_On it Chief, satellites are coming online._"

"…"

"_Got it, seems Rhino did not waste any time and has struck a bank 7 blocks to the west of your current position._" She replied as she switched her image with that of a large man in a grey skintight suit reeking havoc with the police as he made his way out of the blockade they set up, seemingly ignorant of the innocent lives he was putting in danger.

"What are your order's Ma'am." He spoke to his commanding officer.

"_We can't ignore this Chief, suit up an engage the hostile, do not go for lethal intent, we can't risk alienating ourselves to the locals, however make sure he remembers for a long time what happens when you face a Spartan and live._" She ordered.

"Understood, Cortana send it down, along with the usual package." He spoke to the artificial woman.

"_All right tracking your signal, locked on, no witnesses and I will see you there._" She said as her image flickered out and soon he stepped away from the Hog, and was bathed in a blue light that levitated him of the ground a few inches.

This was the answer to how to get his armor to him wherever he was, the colony acted as a powerful beacon that showed his exact location on the planet, and using the newly created teleport pads Redeeming had built, he could have the armor on in less than a minute and as well as delivering his weaponry to him, ammunitions, medical supplies and other standard issue equipment were already inserted into his flatspace storage modules.

Once the light faded John was in his armor and booting up all the systems, next to him was a weapon cases he opened as his armor showed everything was in the green, another light appeared only smaller an localized near the entry port in his helmet, the feeling of ice water in his body told him his partner was already there.

"_Ahh I missed being inside your head John._" Cortana said in a amused tone despite the serious situation.

"**Glad to have you back Cortana, give me the info on this guy, while I load up.**" He mentally said to her.

"_All right his real name is Aleksei Sytsevich, his power were the result of an experiment he volunteered for, it granted him great strength and endurance; he wears a suit of tightly woven Kevlar that mimics Rhino hide, he is as big as a Brute and just as stupid and dangerous, he can lift up to 70 to 80 tons so I suggest you refrain from getting to close unless absolutely necessary, he doesn't posses great speed or agility so you have that advantage on him use it._"

"**Let's do it, activating thrusters.**" He thought as he secured all his weapons on his body, which consisted of his ever present MA5C assault rifle loaded with AP rounds, a pair of M6 Magnums, Shotgun loaded with Shredders, and a compliment of Frag, incendiary and sonic grenades, and some TTR Rounds, and for close combat a custom made gravity hammer, tailored for his size, it was by far equal to the weapon Barbarus used when they fought.

From the back of his legs two small engines appeared and slowly began to hum as they came on line and slowly began to push him off the ground, using the nacelles on his back he turned to face the Hog and sent the command to have it cloaked from view, once the vehicle faded from sight he quickly back off.

"_Let's go be heroes John._" She said somewhat exited at the thought.

"**Lift off!**" he commanded and shot off the ground with a boom that set off car alarms and rattled windows.

_Meanwhile…_

Spider – man was swinging as fast as he could to the scene where the Rhino was last seen heading hoping to head him off.

He was at the Bugle trying to wrangle his paycheck from ol' JJ when the police band radio he kept in his office went off.

"**Seriously? Who in their right mind keeps such a thing in their office? Unless you wanted to avoid the typical New York City traffic of course.**" He thought

He had already known about the breakout was getting ready for another night away from his beautiful super model wife and dear sweet loving aunt, when the news of the heist the Rhino was doing came through, so with the excuse of getting pictures he raced of to the buildings roof where he kept a suit in a secluded spot only he could reach, change and leapt off way from Jameson's office and swing into action.

Of course fate decided to cut him a break.

"Hey Web head where you headed?" a familiar voice spoke behind him.

He gave a quick turn and saw it was his best friend the Human Torch Johnny Storm, wearing his black and blue uniform, who quickly pulled along side of his friend.

"Where's the fire chief?" he said laughing at his private joke.

"You seriously need to get better jokes Torch." He said to his friend.

"Look who's talking, now answer the question man." He replied.

"Rhino is running wild at a bank and I, being the friendly neighbor that I am, decided to go and set him straight, wanna come with?" he said in a humor filled tone.

"Sure, was bored after prancking Ben with laxative pie he was eating." The Torch said.

"You do realize he will get you back after he gets off the toilet, depending on the brand you used." Spider – man said to his friend though he did think it was kind of funny.

"Meh, who cares? It was so worth it when you heard him screaming my name in agony from the bathroom, now lets jet we got bad guys to beat and lovely ladies to save." He said to his friend.

"Amen to that brother." He responded and with that they both went in search of their quarry not knowing they would be the first to witness the battle prowess of the UNSC's most elite soldier.

_With Rhino._

Rhino was currently experiencing some difficulty of his own, he was running after what he deem a successful escape from prison and the first half of a well done bank job, well done being he instigated terror, hurt a lot of people and stole a lot of money, and all the pest was nowhere to be seen.

However as he ran toppling or stomping on cars in his way, he heard a noise coming at him like a small Jet coming his way.

"**Great it's Ironman.**" He thought sarcastically.

"Doesn't matter all just crush him like a beer can." He spoke to himself as he prepared for the confrontation with the armored avenger; however he got it wrong when he assumed it was his realities armored hero.

He saw the figure on the horizon and as he drew closer he began to think maybe the man had chosen a different suit for the occasion; however when the figure was close enough he could see this was not Ironman.

"What the fuck?" he said out loud once more.

The figure pulled up and landed some distance away, it was in an armor all right except it wasn't red and gold but black and military green and a golden visor that reflected all in its path; it also carried guns, but not any he recognized, he saw to side arms on its thighs though not what held them there, he saw two handles on its back and a what appeared to by a strange looking hammer with a jagged spear tip on its back, as well as the fact that it seemed fairly tall, not as tall as him but still.

"I am going to have to ask that you get down on the ground and put your hands on your head." The figure spoke in a male voice that just gave off authority.

"Ha, let me guess new at the hero game? Well here's a little advice newbie, get out of my way before I make paste out of you." He replied in a cocky tone as he sneered at the man.

"I can't do that, now I will not repeat myself again, surrender yourself or be prepared to suffer the consequences." The Spartan said to the man.

"Oh you just pick the wrong words pal." The villain said as he charged at his opponent.

John waited as he faced of against the large man; already a plan was in the making on how best to beat him without killing him and the first step came now, as he ran at the man an gave a baseball slide that caught the villain unprepared as he fell face first into the pavement.

"Grrr, you'll pay for that!" Rhino yells at John from the street.

Meanwhile John had his rifle out and kept it on the man who was getting up while cursing him.

"_He doesn't look happy does he?_" Cortana quipped.

"**His about to be even less.**" He said as he took a pair shots at the man's right shoulder, many would see this as kicking a man while he is down, however John as a soldier learn to take every chance one could get against his enemies, as they say "All is fair in love and war".

BANG!

Zzzziiiing…Paft.

"AAARRRRG!" Howled Rhino as the armor piercing rounds went trough an inch of his suits hide and into the muscle, which should not have been possible, he thought, of course given the fact that this were UNSC rounds, and had all flaws removed made them all the more potent.

"**Seems as though the armor piercing rounds are effective against him, good call on that Cortana.**" He communicated to his companion.

"_Brains over brawn, John._" She replied.

"YOU BASTARD! You shot me! Me, the Rhino! I am going to crush your skull with my bare hands!" he screamed as he got up ignoring the pain in his shoulder as anger driven adrenalin flowed through him.

John simply ignored the threat and set his weapon to semi - automatic.

The enraged villain saw him take aim again and dashed to the right behind a pick up truck as bullets suddenly tracked him, though John made sure to aim for the legs so as to stop him, as per orders he was not going to kill him, just leave him a reminder as the Commander put it.

Rhino grabbed the truck and used it as a shield as he rushed the Spartan's position, where John jumped to the left in order to avoid the collision; however the Rhino quickly managed to grab his leg and threw him into the third floor of a building.

John was a bit rattled by the experience of being thrown like a rag doll, not his first time, but still it was not something he enjoyed, he was about to look for his gun he let go during the landing when he sense something coming fast behind him, he dodged right as the same pick up came crashing through the same hole he made only it was larger now, and the pick up went up to what appeared to be the 6th floor that is until it fell back down right on top of his gun.

"Great, the Commander is not going to be happy with that." He said out loud as he reached for his shotgun.

"_John be careful, you need to get in close for the shredders to do damage, and even I'm not to sure they can._" Cortana said in worry for her protector.

"**Got to risk it, hopefully I can cause him enough damage before I run out of shells.**" He relayed to her.

With that thought in mind he went to the hole however he was both relieved and surprised to find he wasn't in this alone anymore, as Spider – man and the Human Torch had arrived on the seen and where engaged in combat with the large and angry villain.

"Hey there Rhino, looks like someone took a real liking to you if those love bites are any evidence." The web slinger quipped as he dodged another clumsy blow from the man.

"Shut up! After I get rid of you two fuckers I'll finish off that asshole that shot me!" he cried as he threw a right hook at his accursed foe, only to receive a fireball to his mid back.

"Puh – lease I take on the mole man, Doc Doom and Blaastar on daily basis, and YOU think you can beat me, dream on loser." The Torch said for the world to hear, which only mad the villain angrier.

"_We got to finish this John; the man may end up doing something rash._"

"**Right, looks like I have to get up close and personal.**" He replied as he placed the shotgun back in its place and grabbed the hammer.

"Hold still you wall crawling freak!" Rhino yelled at his foe as he dodged another blow and again got hit by the Torch this time near his wounded shoulder.

"SON OF A BITCH! I am going to kill both of you slowly and p…" his retort was cut of by a powerful blow to his back near his on the left.

"Arrgg!"

"Crash!"

The heroes gave pause to their assault when they saw the reason for the Rhino's sudden pain, as he flew to the right into a cab.

They turned to look at the cause and where surprised to find a seven foot tall man in green and black armor, with a polarized visor and a wicked looking weapon in his hands.

"Who are you?" Spider asked.

John gave them a look from behind his helmet but did not respond as he focused on dealing with the criminal who was rising while holding his side, meaning that he either bruised or fractured his ribs.

"I will give you one more chance at surrender; I suggest you take it before I decide to put you out of your misery." John said as his left hand went to one of his handguns.

"I…I am going to bury all of you, guh, especially you tin man." The villain replied as he let go of his side and began to let his anger give him strength to make a charge at the heroes.

"So be it." John said as he charged at the man.

"Are you nuts? Stop. Or he'll squash you!" The torch yelled at the man.

"Wait!" Spider – man yelled as he launches his webs only to be stopped as golden glow encompass the figure and fall to the ground.

"**Personal Shields! Not even Ironman has those.**" The hero thought.

The Rhino saw this as well and slowed his charged this however cost him as John sped up, surprising the three that he could move so fast despite the armor, by the time the super criminal reacted to the Spartan in front of him it as too late as he went to work on him.

First he delivered a blow to the man's left arm with the hammer shattering the bone, Rhino naturally clutched his wounded appendage as John predicted, and using the momentum he gain spun in place and delivered a round house kick to his sternum, making him double over as the armor enhanced the power behind his augmented muscles, still using the spin to his advantage he hefted the hammer and struck the right wounded shoulder breaking that bone as well, now Rhino had both arms disabled, so John did a leg sweep tumbling the villain to his burnt back, after all this Rhino can only whimper at the pain he was subjected too by this armored man.

John seeing this decides to be merciful, so he takes one of his M6 and ejects the live ammunition magazine with a TTR, however the heroes see this, and believe the man is going to kill him, a natural reaction if you think about it, still they don´t rush him, they just calmly approach the stranger who beat up a man who has faced off with the Hulk.

"Um, hey not to be a downer or anything but you aren´t going to kill him are you?" Spider – man asks.

"Yeah I mean sure he looks pathetic and all but it's not right." Torch adds in his own "unique" way.

"I am not going to kill him." He said as he chambered a round.

"Listen I know I'm not very smart like my friend here but when a guy says he is not going to kill someone he usually avoids loading a gun made for that purpose." The young member of the Four continued.

"Point taken." BLAM!

"Holy SHIT! You killed him." The blond exclaimed.

"No I have rendered him unconscious with a tranquilizer, see he is still breathing." "**I can see why he hasn´t lead the team.**" He thought to himself.

"_John be nice._" Cortana said, though she did find the comment funny.

Spider – man reached down and felt the man chest rise and fall.

"He´s right Torch, the man is still alive, bloody and broken but still alive, still I didn´t know SHIELD made those types of bullets, you are from SHIELD right?" he asked figuring a man that well armed either was an agent or someone like Tony Stark.

"No I am not; I am from another place that is all I can tell you for now." John replied the man.

"Um, ok that wasn´t vague at all, so who are you?" he asked.

"Call me Spartan – 117, Spider – man." The armored figure replied.

"Wait, 117, does that mean there are more of you? Or is that your rank or something?" he asked the man "**Now I know why people have issues with me wearing a mask, I can´t get a read on this guy with that helmet blocking his face.**" He thought to himself as his face was reflected back at him.

"Like I said now is not the right time to explain, however I require your assistance, people may have been injured by the man´s attack here, will you help me look?" he said in genuine concern as he did not want to leave without checking, he may not be a medic but he knew enough to help while professionals arrived.

The heroes agreed and went to the building where Rhino had thrown him and the truck, John used his thrusters to boost jump to the hole, while Spider – man climb using his powers, Johnny flew, the three went through all three upper floors, the first two thankfully had no serious injuries, has many were directed towards the windows when the battle occurred, the sixth floor did have a some people who did get hurt no one died but John was less than pleased with the results, so with that he set to work.

First there was a woman who had twisted her ankle, John gave her a minor pain reliever he took from his modified rucksack, he was now more thankful for the upgrades his armor got as he now had a way carry more as well as get the right tool for the job as his HUD display the list of what he had, one mental command an he got it, simple as that, he dress the leg in bandages and when to next person who required medical attention, a man who had broken his right arm as the truck's side mirror dislodged and struck hard, John set the bone, applied some biofoam clean the wound and seal the skin, the man winced but it was only for a moment, and gave him a minor shot of pseudo morphine, a derivative without the addictive properties, once that was done he carefully bandaged the wound and moved on, he continued until his armor registered the sounds of sirens getting closer.

"We are about to get company." He told Johnny and Spider.

"How can you tell?" Peter asked curious, from what he had seen and heard this man had some impressive technology, the scientist in him wished he could get a closer look at it as he had found it to be incredibly advanced, the biofoam and that pain killer he had were definitely not conventional, and his weapons like his guns or that hammer of his were way more advanced than conventional weaponry.

"Take a look outside." He said as he applied a bandaged on an interns arm.

He and the Torch decided to humor the man in armor and went to the window, and sure enough there in the distance were the flashing lights of police and ambulance officials, they could also see that the Rhino was still unconscious on the street however several bystanders were already crowding around him, one kid was poking him with a stick.

"Johnny you better get out there and do some crowds control, they like you more than me, I'll stay here and keep watch of our green armored friend." Peter said to his friend.

"You sure man? Cause that guy freaks me out a bit, and he isn't no pushover if he decides he doesn't want company." The Blonde told his masked friend.

"I'm sure, besides if he tries anything my Spider – sense will warn me, now go before one of those people wake up sleeping ugly down there"

"Ok, but be careful, I don't want to be the one to tell your wife that you got your ass killed because I was babysitting a sleeping super villain." He replied as he headed to their entry point.

John heard their conversation but was not surprised by their mistrust, it was a sound decision on the part of the Human Torch to question his motives, still he would require their help if he and his companions were to return to their reality.

"_Well at least you haven't made any negative impressions John, now you just have to play nice and all should go well._" Cortana remarked.

"**True, but that will take some time and I can only hope it does not take long.**" He replied.

"_Why the hurry?_"

"**I'm worried the loyalist may try something again, that fleet we faced was massive and it was only through surprise and luck we pull off our plan, but what if they have another ready and this time there is no warning?**" he said to her gravelly.

"_You have a point there Chief, but right the best we can do is hope for the best, and let our allies and friends to what they can._" She said to comfort her protector.

He gave no reply but was at least relaxed by her words as he knew she was right in that there was nothing that could be down for now.

"Well that's the last one, what now Spartan." The webbed hero asked.

"Now we go to the lobby to remove that truck, it may hamper the medical personnel on the way out." He replied.

"Aren't you worried the cops may get upset for disturbing the seen?"

"My priority is to see this people get proper medical attention, I believe they will understand." He said to the man as he headed to the hole where the truck could be seen.

"Your call." Peter replied.

They both dropped down, Spider –man lightly while John's armor made a noticeable crunch and impression on the ceramic floor, his armor may weigh half of what it originally did, but that doesn't mean it was light by any means.

They saw the truck had fallen and was upside down, the remains of his rifle were under the hood, it was completely damaged but still he picked it up hopefully they could get back up and running, he did not like to waste a good resource as one never knew when they would needed again..

Once that was done the both got on the sides and lifted the vehicle, Peter with his super strength and John with his armored enhanced one, they got a break as the vehicle entry and shattered the glass doorway as well as some of the side windows making its removal all the more easy, however John could see the media had gotten there as well.

"**I hoping not to have to deal with the media yet.**"

"_This could actually work in our favor Chief; in fact I have an idea, listen…_"

"Spider –man I have a request to make of you." He said as they were reaching the half way point, the lights of cameras and voices coming in.

"What can kind of favor?" The hero asked cautisly.

"I wish fro you and friend to tell other in your hero community not to look for me, I will speak to them in time as well as yourself about myself, but I must prepare first, I have no hostile intentions towards them or the people in this city, I only time to prepare a suitable meeting with those I wish to speak to, can you do this?" he asked.

"Sure I guess, but how long will you need? And why me?"

"I'm not sure, hopefully not much, and as for why you, the information I obtained says that you have had contact with the other heroes, and would make a good messenger for it, that is if you so should to help." He replied.

"Well I guess that makes sense, sure I'll pass it on but if I know I goes some will want to look for you sooner, worse if SHIELD thinks this is hoax they will definitely go after you."

"It's a risk I will have to take; hopefully all will turn out well for me and others." He said to the costumed man as they both got the vehicle out while ignoring the many questions thrown at them.

The police had secured the villain, an Johnny in typical fashion was hamming it up with the ladies, John ignored it and Spider – man just shook his head at his friends antics.

"This is where we part Spider – man, though not for the last time, thank you for your assistance back there." He said as he extended his hand towards him.

Spider – man shook it, and later when Johnny approach repeated the same though he was a bit more hesitant, with that out of the way he stepped back and flew of into the sky.

"**Cortana can you patch me through to the Commander?**"

"_Done._"

"_Chief I take it your first heroic experience was successful?_" She asked, though here tone made it seems more like a fact.

"Affirmative, target was contained and made contact with subjects Human Torch and Spider – man; media has been made aware of my presence, asked Spider to relay message of none hostility to others." He spoke to her.

"_Very well, it was inevitable our presence by caught unaware by the people, we will have to be careful how he move about in this world, hopefully they will not create hostilities, come on home Chief._" She ordered.

"Will do once I resupply Commander, unless you wish to go out for dinner."

"_Why Chief are you asking me out?_" she asked with humor.

"No Commander, UNSC regulations state that…"

"_I'm kidding Chief, remember you aren't my type, we really must work on your humor, what has Cortana been teaching you?_" she asked humorlessly.

"_Not my fault his a stick in the mud, I have little to work with him._" She said in a childish tone.

"Ladies, I am right here you know." He said with no malice intended.

"_Right anyway, go get the groceries and will still go out, in honor of your first victory, pizza sounds good?_" she asked.

"That will be fine Commander, anything else?"

"_Yes bring me a box of three musketeer's bars, please_." She said to the Spartan.

"_What happen to the one you got last week?_" Cortana asked.

"_I ate them as I watch this Soap on TV; Michael was leaving Jennifer for Linda, while she was seeing…_" at that point John tuned out both the A.I and his commanding officer.

"**I will never understand what is so great of Soap Operas.**" He thought to himself as he flew to his vehicle.

_Meanwhile in Four Freedoms Plaza…_

Johnny and Spider –man quickly left the area after everyone was cleared, when to F4 headquarters to call the other and tell the message, he told them everything he saw and heard.

"…and he said he doesn't want any trouble with us and will contact us when he is ready." Spider – man said to the screen where the Avengers and X – men were looking back at him as he relayed the Spartan's message to both groups.

"Interesting, and you this mans, this Spartan, armor and weaponry was more advanced than my own?" Ironman asked as the live news broadcast showed the man in question, as well as clips from his battle with Rhino.

With him were Hawkeye, She – Hulk, Thor, Wasp and Captain America.

On the screen with the X – men was Professor Xavier, Cyclops, Beast, Jean and Wolverine.

"It seemed that way, like I said when he was rushing the Rhino I tried to stop him using my webs, but he had some kind of personal shield." He replied.

"Hmm, to power such a thing on such a small scale would require nothing short of a fusion reactor, however to reach such a size, is not feasible without causing cascade failure, even I have yet to achieve something like that." Reed commented as he found such a thing fascinating.

"I agree with Dr. Richards's assessment, and this biofoam and pseudo morphine, such things have yet to be created, sure the chemical foundation is there but no one I have heard of has yet to do so." Beast added.

"So what are guys saying? Is he time traveler? Could it be Kang?" Hawkeye added.

"No I've been monitoring for any tachyon emissions should he make an incursion and nothing has so much has gone off, even if he has some new technology he would still give of his presence, however we may not yet rule out that possibility yet, he could also be from some sort of secret government project." Reed commented.

"He could be Doc, they way he talked and held himself just screamed soldier." Spider – man added.

"What say you Captain? Does this new element in our battle against evil be a member of Midgard's fighting forces?" Thor asked his old friend.

"No Fury despite all his cloak and dagger routines would have informed of any freelance agent, even now I bet he has people working on it, but to my knowledge there is no such project in the works." Captain America replied the God of Thunder.

"So what do we do about him?" She – Hulk asked.

"There is nothing we can do, not without compromising ourselves in this mans eyes." Xavier said.

"Chuck, the guy is obviously a grunt for some military outfit, I say we track him down and get some answers." Wolverine added.

"Logan we can just go into this blind, what if he anger him, from the videos shown he is quite a capable fighter and has no qualms about using force to get the job done." Jean said to the feral mutant.

"My point exactly Jeanie, this guy is a pro, he has access to high tech weapon's and is not afraid to use them, if he proves to be hostile he will point them at us, and even if he isn't what happens if the government or some Black Ops group wants what he has and uses it against us, that is why we should out there looking for him, and make sure to get his story before it blows in our face." He replied to the Redhead.

"Though I don't think this Spartan has given any indication of being a threat, we should tread carefully, maybe it is nothing or this could be like that Thunderbolt fiasco, whatever the case we the Avengers will wait and see what occurs." Ironman said.

"The Fantastic Four will do the same."

"I don't think he is a threat, but I will keep my eyes open just in case." Spider – man said.

"The X –men will do the same, ALL of us." Cyclops said as he looked at Wolverine with a look that everyone knew.

"SNIKT"

"Bite me Slim, you people do what you want but I ain't waiting for this to go bad, I want answers and I am going to get them." He said as he extended his middle right claw and left the room.

"Well that is not going to end well." Wasp said from her place.

"I'll try to talk to him before he does anything rash." Jean said as she went after Logan.

"So with the exception of Wolverine we all agree that this Spartan shall be given the benefit of the doubt until otherwise?" Reed asked.

"Yes." Was the answer.

"All right let us hope we are not misplacing our faith here, farewell."

"Indeed good bye Dr. Richards." Xavier said before signing off..

"Good bye doctor, I will see you tomorrow with those transducers you requested." Ironman said on behalf of the team.

"Well guys I have to get on home, my Aunt is coming to visit and I need clean up, so later." Spider – man said as he headed for the roof.

"Say hello to Mary for us." Reed added.

"Sure thing Doc."

"_**Where is that overgrown firefly! I am going to clobber him to next Sunday.**_" The unmistakable voice of the Thing bellowed.

"Uh Oh, um Reed I am going to make sure Spidey makes home so later." He said as he rushed out of the room.

"_**You are dead Matchstick!**_"

To Be Continued…

A/N: Well there you have it, I know it is mostly exposition but I felt I needed to get this out of the way, also the small battle is my second attempt and I again I stress that I am still getting used to choreographing such a thing, but I felt I should at least deliver something on my end to you the readers, as the fics I have seen have him introduced two chapters later, and I wanted to do something different for a change.

If there are any comments in regards to the fact I did not have Rhino killed by the Chief, please remember that I did have him brutally beaten, also I do plan to have him kill people like terrorist like AIM or HIDRA, as for super villains I haven't decided, maybe a lesser one like the Kangaroo or have him repeatedly shoot Deadpool.

"Hey! Now that is not cool man!"

"Shut Up! Be thankful I'm even mentioning you at all ass!"

"You did the same damn thing in Stoppable's Spider fic, I demand to get a better deal and also would mmmm."

"I just erased your mouth, how you like that huh!"

Sorry about that folks me and Pool had creative differences.

Pairings are still undecided, but I would like to pair Miranda with a character like, I don't know Cap (Lets face they don't get more opposite than those two, she is from a futuristic alternate Earth and he is WWII vet living by ideals most have long since forgotten.) or Hawkeye (She can kick ass like Mockingbird and will not back down when he gets one of his crazy plans.) or something, just not Stark he is dead to me, he has screw up to many times for me too allow it, as for Chief, I think most will say someone like Black Cat or She Hulk, as their uninhibited personalities would mesh well with his controlled nature, and hilarity would ensue as they try to bring out his repressed sex drive back into the fold, that would be funny, then there are characters like Ms. Marvel or Storm who are strong women who have gone through difficult times (Alcoholism, the Brood or Onslaught and Operation Zero Tolerance ), then again I could give a shot to the lovely Alicia Masters, she may be blind but she seems to bring out the inner beauty with her kindness and maybe she can bring him out of his shell.

As for my attempt to a DC cross, more precisely a JLU, I will try for something later on, I heard Freedom Guard would be making one so I want to see a Master at work before taking a stab at it.

Well that is all for now, my next update will be my Rider story followed by Sym – Ron, until they catch up with DS/KP fic, which for some reason no one has reviewed the latest chapter, hope I haven't screwed up, but time will tell, I'm out of here, Peace.


	3. Chapter 3

Lands of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Chapter 2

It was currently 6:00 in the morning in Bayville and we find John jogging around the park, years have taught him to remain fit for combat, and he is not about to stop, he was wearing a black T – shirt, loose pants and combat boots, John had developed a schedule for himself of 50 laps around the park, 300 push ups, 300 crunches and going to the gym to lift weights, he usually left before it got crowded, mostly because he did not enjoy being the center of attention, most of the female variety as many were woman who attempted to follow the Commanders unique brand of advise, much to his annoyance, as he ran the length of the park his thoughts drifted to how the A.I's and the Commander felt in this reality, it was different in so many ways, but still every one adapted in their unique ways.

Things had been rather calm on their stay on this Earth, Commander Keyes took as much advantage of it as she could, she went to the movies, took walks in the park, listened to music, and even struck conversations with the locals when she and John went out into the town, basically she enjoyed living a peaceful life, not that she didn't maintain herself fit and ready should the moment require it, she was soldier after all, still she could honestly see herself retiring and enjoying civilian life once, if should they ever return, the loyalist were dealt with the UNSC was back to its former glory.

Cortana spent most of her time surfing the net, literally, not just typical information gathering but other things as well, there was no worry of taking to much data thanks to her upgrades, and she went into sites dedicated to everyone's favorite hero, actually chatted with some of them without giving anything away, watched videos, downloaded shows and movies, and went she felt like it she would dabble in online games much to the ire of many gamers who had dubbed her Heavens Wrath whenever her icon appeared, which was the UNSC eagle, without the lettering, the most vocal about it was Hotstuff209 and Cooldude157, she knew who they were in reality and was rather mischievous when they came to challenge her.

Redeeming simply observed through cameras and screens human behavior in an attempt to better serve his programming and prevent any harm from falling the vessel and its occupants, it would often find curious the duality with which the super humans acted, some were simply trying to make a difference, others acted out of a need for revenge, others found the popularity and recognition worth the trouble and some simply fought for the right to live as equals.

In the opposite the villains were driven by greed, anger, lust, envy, personal tragedy and pettiness, some willing turned themselves into beings of power just for the sake of it, it served to enlighten the monitor as to the many ways humans acted.

John was the only one who had difficulty integrating, of course it was understandable given the fact that Spartans were not like other soldiers in the UNSC, they were trained as children to fight, things such as social interaction were left behind to make them what they are today, there were those who could be seen as more "friendly" to their fellow humans, case in point Maria – 062 the only Spartan known to marry and give birth to children, no one really understood how it happened only that it did, not that her fellow Spartans were against it, they were her family and supported her, even if they could not express it properly, he personally went to her and congratulated her on her happiness and even today hopes that she and her family are safe.

John's only non military companion was Dr. Halsey, she was in many ways the mother of the Spartan's, and he knew she felt guilt for what was denied them, but none of them hated her for it as she constantly strived for their survival by ensuring they had better armors, better technology and so on, she had often talked to him whenever chance came, small talk but talk nonetheless, and he thanked her for it.

CPO Mendez, Johnson, Cortana and Commander Keyes he could relate too because they understood why he was what he was, what they all went trough during the war, Johnson never approve of the other ODST's back talking about him and the others after witnessing how much they had sacrificed for humanity, his death was as strong as that of Sam who he had ordered to remain to die a decision he still felt haunted by, he likes to think that he redeemed himself by not turning over Johnson's medical data, but he never found a way to ask himself that.

As he finishes his routine thinking on all of it he came to the conclusion that perhaps he needs to experience more of what there is to offer here, the Commander had raised a valid point on the Dawn the day the arrived, when all was said and done He and the others would lay down their weapons, and would be allowed to go out into humanity and experience it, and as leader of the Spartans, he owed them the chance to try and find a way to make that possible, with that in mind he went home to tell them his idea and hopefully succeed.

_Meanwhile on board the mobile SHIELD Headquarters, Hellicarrier…_

Here we find in the bowels of the ship a conference room for the trade of information, assignment of missions and actions against possible threats, at the head of the table was a man in a blue uniform, with white straps that held his guns, he had weathered features, chestnut hair that whitened at the bottom and a single right eye, a black eye patch on the other, this was Nicholas Joseph Fury, director of SHIELD, and the topic of discussion was the events that played out several weeks ago, mainly the appearance of the Spartan.

Seated to his right was Spider – man and Johnny Storm, they had made contact and the ones who carried the message, to his left was Captain America, Ironman and Black Widow, two were their for business that required their attention.

"So why am I here again?" the web slinger asked.

"Yeah me too, cause I got a hot date tonight with a Hungarian model from Vogue in 30." The Human Torch added, gaining a the reactions of embarrassment from Spider – man, a sigh of resignation from Cap, Apathy from Fury, disgust from Widow, and interest from Ironman or as he had his helmet off Tony Stark.

"Really? Is it Tatiana Slenchko?" He asked.

"No, Ivana Gregoritk, she is a new addition to them and boy let me tell you she…" he did not finish as a fist slammed the table.

"SLAM!"

"Can the chatter you two, we have more important things to deal with than you two comparing conquests, now I want to review exactly what went down with the Rhino and this unknown." Fury ordered.

"We already told the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and the X – men everything that went down, me and Torch came onto the scene, Rhino was bleeding from the shoulder, he threw a truck into a building, we duke it out when this big guy in green and black armor calling himself Spartan – 117 drops down on the scene and whacks with a wicked looking hammer, Rhino gets pissed and charges, this guy" points to the Spartans picture "Charges AT the Rhino, I try to stop him by using my webs, doesn't work because he has a energy shield around him, then he beats him with the hammer." Spider – man finishes and the Johnny picks up the story.

"Yeah like he said, then Rhino is crying like a little girl on the ground, he switches bullets and shoots him, I swear I was going to have heart attack when he does that, I mean it looked like he killed him, but Spidey checks and turns out his knocked out, he then asks us to help him help the wounded, which we do, I go out to do crowd control, then him and webs here come out and he asks us to pass on his message, which we do and now here we are, can I go now?" he ends, getting a sigh from his friend and and…

"SLAP!" "Ow! That hurt man!" he says as he holds the back of his head after Spider shows him some childish discipline.

"Fine, you may both go." Fury says as the two get up and leave, Spider –man the only one who says his goodbyes and receiving them from Cap.

"So is that the same thing they told you?" he asks the Avengers there.

"Yes, every word, what do you think Nick?" Asks Captain America.

"Probably nothing good, as always." Tony quips, ignoring Widow's glare.

"I think this guy, is more than he lets on, ballistics came back with a sample of the bullets, they found them to be absolutely flawless not one ounce of imperfection on them." he says noticing the looks from the three.

"But… that is not possible, even adamantium bullets have flaws, how can he have such a thing." Widow asks.

"I don't know until we find him and ask him, what can you tell us about the armor?" He points his single eye at Tony.

"From word of mouth and video alone? Not much, however whatever is powering it, I want to take a look at it, none of my armors have exterior force shields, and the power requirements alone would tax them." Tony replies as his mind is already going through equations and math formulas that would make it possible to power an armor such as that as well as what would he need to make the same possible for his.

"Is it possible that it is based on the Ironman armor?" Steve asks.

"Not possible all Iron tech is kept in a stand alone server, with absolutely no external access except my own personal recognition system, besides last time I recall Ironman armor did not require the use of portable guns no matter how advanced they may seem." He said as he looked at the repulsors on his palms.

"What about Stane or Hammer, they had made several attempts to duplicate several of your armors over the years, could they or someone with their designs have a hand in this?" Fury asked the armored avenger.

"I doubt it, no one could make those works, not even me they were crude and sloppy, no whoever built this guys armor was good and knew what they were doing, I do wonder how it stacks up with one of my own?" The billionaire asked out loud.

"You may get your wish if it turns out he isn't on the level." Fury said.

"Must we assume the man is a threat with so little information on him?" Captain America asked with frown on his face.

"Rogers, you may think everyone's deserves the benefit of the doubt, but my job requires me to be suspicious of every person, every day of every hour, so yes I am suspicious of his motives, of his technology and everything we do and don't know about him, and I will continue to do so even after he decides to come forward, so you might as well get used to it, now is there anything else you wish to say?" The head of SHIELD asked as he got a cigar out.

"Yes, I thought you said were going to quit." Steve said in referenced to the smoke.

"I keep saying that I am, never found a reason not to, anything else?" he asked.

"Yes, what of the recent HYDRA activity in the Amazon? Have there been any updates on that?" Natasha asked ignoring the smell as she usually did.

"Nothing conclusive yet, there are reports that they are working with AIM but all attempts to locate their base or the reason for there presence is unknown, I am hoping you're team can provide aid in this." Fury said to the three.

"We will Coronel; I will select a team to investigate and lead it personally." Captain America spoke with conviction.

"Very good, inform SHIELD of anything you find, if that is all you are dismissed." He said as he got up and logged them out.

The others nodded and got up and headed out, no one notice the small eagle icon appear on the screen as they left.

"_The Chief will want to know about this._" Cortana spoke as she reviewed the data.

_Meanwhile with the Spartan…_

John was currently driving around in the city, no particular destination, he had changed from his exercise cloths to a black T – shirt that clung to his body, black jeans and his combat boots, a pair of dog tags around his neck; he was simply following through with his earlier idea.

_Flashback…_

"You plan on going out Chief?" The Commander asked as she had her breakfast with the Chief.

"Yes, I have come to realize that, if I am to adapt to our current living conditions in this reality and in this city then I must try to, I believe the term is "get out more and mingle"?" he questioned.

"_That is a great idea John, I am sure Dr. Halsey would be pleased to know you are attempting to integrate yourself with your fellow humans._" Cortana spoke from her holo imager disk as she was currently working along with Redeeming on a project on board the Dawn, she wouldn't say what it was only that it was in case they REALLY needed it.

"I agree with her, this way should we return home, you won't have trouble immersing yourself into civilian life." Miranda added.

"_What do you plan on doing?_" The UNSC A.I asked.

"Just drive around for now, see the sights as they were now before time has its say on them." he replied.

"Good plan, I would join you but Karen invited me over for lunch today." She said.

"_Who?_"

"She is one John's more younger admirers, I believe she is on break from NYU, we met her at the movies when they were showing there Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the ring."

"I still do not understand that movie, how can one ring hold the fate of that world in balance? If it was a Halo THEN I would get it." John said as he drank his coffee.

"You're just saying that because it was a fantasy movie." Miranda retorted.

"True, but that Star Wars was more understandable, except when they spoke of this "Force" to many contradictions there."

"Chief, we are seriously going to have to work on the more rigid parts of your personality." Keyes said as she ate ignoring the puzzled look from the Spartan and the chuckling Cortana.

_End Flashback._

John had set out and arrived at the city at around noon, and per his line of thought he visited all the major places Liberty Island, The U.N building as it looked before it and many other organizations were unified under a single banner, he paid his respects at ground zero, that was probably one of the more sad reminders of this reality as in his the Towers were willfully demolished and replaced, not destroyed at a whim by fanatic.

Right now he was resting at a local pizzeria he and the Commander had visited during the first week here, he actually enjoyed it well, it certainly beat the MRE's he had eaten during the war, not to say they were bad, as the manufacturer's had made advancements to make them more tasteful as well as provide better nutrients but still, so here he was waiting for his order two slices of Pepperoni, Mushroom and Olives.

He took notice that it was filled with more people than usual for some reason, so much so that he was forced to stand as he drank his soft drink, Pepsi his preferred beverage, as his order was being tended to.

"Number 75!" one of the cooks yelled over the crowd.

"Here!" he replied as he fetched his order pushing through the crowd.

He took the plate and paid for them.

"**Now where to sit in this can of sardines.**" He thought as he looked for a place to eat, finally he saw a table with two seats available, the other two occupied by a long haired blonde wearing a black sports jacket, red blouse and Skye blue jeans and the other by a long haired African woman with platinum blonde hair dressed in a yellow sundress sitting next to each other, something that made him think of Kelly before her induction into the Spartans as she had blue hair before she had it returned to normal, there was a third plate there with a slice the last chair empty.

He made his way over to the two who were speaking to one another ignorant of his approach.

"Pardon me, but may I sit here?" he asked the two who turned to look at him and stooped and gazed at him.

_Minutes before…_

Carol Danvers AKA Warbird was currently out with two of her friends, Ororo Monroe or Storm as she was known from the X-men and Jennifer Walters also known as She - Hulk from the Avengers.

Storm had called her to catch up on old times, and she agreed, it was far to long since she had gone out with friends, least of all the one from the X-men, she had intended to talk to them sooner after that unpleasantness with operation Zero Tolerance after the fall of Onslaught, but the world needed heroes during that time and even after the return of the fallen, as the Avengers and Fantastic Four were healing from their near death hence why she had called Jen to come with her to meet the weather controller.

Jen naturally agreed despite the fact that she would stand out among the crowd, not her fault though as her powers had locked her in her She – hulk form not that she minded, and even if they didn't she would still go as her alter ego, she was more comfortable in her hero persona than her normal one.

She didn't have the same problem as her face was masked, meaning that even though her identity was known she was not as recognizable unless out with one of the other publicly known heroes and even then it was hard to pin point her, Janet and Wanda certainly proved that.

"So how is everyone at the mansion?" she asked.

"They are fine, some are still reeling from the Omega sentinels attack on us, but we survived worse, when I mentioned I was going to see you many asked when you were coming to visit." Storm said to her friend,

"I have thought of visiting, but after the Avengers coming back from that Counter Earth and everyone still adjusting, I have been very busy keeping the world spinning, then there's the news of this new guy surfacing." Carol replied as she took a sip of her Coke.

"You must be referring to this…Spartan correct?"

"Yes, he caught the attention of a lot of people, Tony wants to see what makes that armor tick, Fury has Cap and Natasha on the Hellicarrier probably prepping a worst case scenario, Hercules wants to see if he is an actual Spartan and so on, I even heard Reed wants a crack at his tech." The blonde replied.

"Hmm, yes I believe Henry said the same." Storm replied as she thought back to Beast having discussions with Forge on the power requirements, alloys and other such technical terms that only they seem to understand.

"Logan still on the warpath?" Carol asked as she thought back to Wolverine's comments.

"Not as much as he initially expressed but that is mostly because of Jean talking him down from doing something rash." Was the reply she gave.

"Yeah, I bet that is going to last long with him, for his entire cool in battle, once something gets him rattled he won't settle until he feels he has dealt with it." She replied.

"It is just one of his more unique quality's, he has endured much in his life and does not wish the same on the students or the others, he is rather protective of them, why when Kitty was ever in danger he would go through hell and back to make sure nothing harmed her, and Jubilee has that same effect on him, I believe she once told me that he was a big softie at heart with deadly claws underneath." She said before she and Carol burst into laughter at that idea of own of the most dangerous men on the planet being referred to in such a way; however that laughter was cut off by a voice.

"Pardon me, but may I sit here?"

They both turned to look at the source and stopped cold.

It was a well built man in a black shirt and pants holding a plate with two slices and a soft drink in both hands, the most eye catching thing about him was his pale complexion, it was as if he was a statue, he had brown hair in a military cut, brown eyes that gave of something they could not identify but familiar all the same, they did admit he was quite handsome and fit.

"I-I'm sorry what did you say?" Carol said as she continued to look, not knowing this was in fact the Spartan they spoke of.

"**God I am acting like a schoolgirl with a crush.**" She thought.

"I asked is I may sit here, if it is all right with you ladies?" John asked politely.

"Oh, of course, sorry for spacing out on you like that, it's just…" she paused as she had no words that did not sound rude.

"Were caught off guard by my complexion?" he asked in whatever humor he could muster.

"Yeah I am so sorry about that, the staring I mean, not your skin or anything, not that there is anything wrong with it, it's just you look, ugh I'll be quiet now." Carol said thoroughly embarrassed, Storm just remained quiet though she wondered if the man was a mutant or simply not gone out in a while.

"That's all right miss; I am use to receiving stares so I am not offended." He replied.

"I mean no harm but are you an albino or perhaps a…?" she left the question hanging not sure how to finish it.

"A mutant perhaps? No I am neither I simply have not gotten much sun in my life." He replied.

"Are you offended by mutants?" Storm asked with a certain edge to it, Carol paid close attention to this.

"Not at all of them, only those who believe it is their right to abuse their abilities for selfish and petty gain, but they are only human in the end so it is only natural that some take that course of action, humans after all are their own worst enemy." John said as he took a bite.

"That is an interesting comment Mr...? I'm sorry I didn't get your name." Ororo asked as she was still processing the man's comments.

"Nor did I give it, my name is John Mendez Halsey, but my friends call me John or Chief." He said as he extended his hand to them.

"Hello John, my name is Ororo Monroe; you can call me Ororo if you like." She said as she shook his hand and he nodded to her suggestion.

"**So this is Storm of the X – men, and if my memory serves me then she must be…**"

"Pleasure Miss." He said as he turned to her blonde companion.

"And I'm Carol Danvers, Carol will do, and it is a pleasure John." She said as she gave him a smile and a handshake, careful not to squeeze too hard.

"**Warbird as she is known now, formerly Ms. Marvel, interesting.**" He thought as he wondered what were the odds of meeting 2, if not 3 if the unknown companion showed, super heroes.

"Now that introductions are made, could you please elaborate on your comments?" Storm asked, however before he could answer…

"What comments? And who is this?" another female voice asked from his left.

He turned to look and was surprised to see a large woman who was easily 7ft tall, and emerald green, wearing a black business suit and skirt that seem to reach only mid thigh, though he only raised an eyebrow at her as per his reaction to all the strange and unknown.

"**Huh? Usually people react with more awe when they see me; I'll let it slide since he is such a looker.**" Jennifer thought to herself as she took in the Spartan's features.

"**I believe this explains all the activity around here.**" John thought as the woman still looks on at him.

"Hey Jen, this is John, he joined us because it was too crowded and was about to explain to us something about his theories on mutants." Carol said as she could tell her friend had that look again that said she was inspecting the man.

"**Sigh, she always does this when she sees a potential one night stand, but then again he does look like he could be fun.**" She thought as she looked at John more thoroughly.

"Well it is a pleasure John, My name is Jennifer Walters, but you can call me Jen, though I'm sure you know of me by other exploits." She said as she sat and took a sip of her drink.

John decided to put Cortana's lessons in humor to the test.

"No I'm sorry but I am unfamiliar with you, are you a musician or actress?" he asked with straight face.

"Cough" "What!" she yelled in shock, she would have continued except she then saw him give a smirk.

"Ooh you are good; I'll give you that John." She said to him and gave him a gentle shove and cope a feel "**Hmm nice.**"

"I figured I owed it to a friend to try and be less serious, now I believe you asked me to elaborate on my statement Ororo?" He asked her to which she nodded.

"Very well, I believe that prejudice against mutants is pointless as is the separate classification of them from the rest of the human race." He said

"How so?" Storm asked in curiosity.

"If you look at humanity's history, people with genetic anomalies have been around since the beginning; of course they were not as noticeable as they are today, people with additional fingers and toes, an extra rib or smaller or larger stature than the norm, why is it these people are not considered mutants? What makes them humans and not, according to the more "vocal" people, freaks? Why are men like Spider – man and Hulk not in the same category as the X – men? Are they not mutants of a different variety? The term itself speaks of genetic differences and are they not obviously part of that definition?" He paused as the woman absorbed the questions and the meaning behind them; they were not the only ones as the other patrons had stopped and listened to him.

"But the Hulk and Spider – man don't have an X – gene so they aren't really mutants." One of patrons said many agreeing with the response.

"True enough mutants do have an additional gene that separates them from the rest of powerless mankind, and it is true, or at least according to known information about the two, that neither has one, but that does not mean their genes do not contain something else that separates them as well." He replied.

"You bring up some interesting input on that John, and it does make sense in a way when you look at it from that perspective." Storm said as she considered the points he raised.

"But then why do they do act so hostile towards normal people?" A woman near the back asked.

"Well, how would you react if you were treated as some inhuman monster for being born that way? For something you cannot control?" He rebutted.

She remained silent at that before he continued.

"Can anyone truly tell me that men like Hitler, the Red Skull or Dr. Doom, men who willingly cause pain and suffering, who are in control of themselves, are more human than mutants who cannot help what they are? Who are subject to racial prejudice from the moment they awaken by supposed "civilized" men, men who build weapons that hunt them and kill them without an explanation or a chance to defend themselves against them, if you truly think that, then maybe you need to take a good long look at yourselves." John finished leaving a speechless group of people.

"Wow, I never really thought of it that way." Jen said as she took in his words.

"**I guess we never really look hard at ourselves and what surrounds us.**" She thought.

"All it takes is for one person to look at things from a person's perspective to gain a better understanding of one's own." He replied.

"**In many ways we Spartans have much in common with mutants, we could not control how we were selected or who lived or died during the augmentations, but what we did and how we lived defined us as the people we were seen as, but only in response to their outside perspectives, some saw us as monsters other as saviors.**" He thought.

It was at that moment he felt the ring in his ear.

"**Send to cell.**" He mentally commanded the colony; it was a cover Cortana had developed should he be in a situation that called for subtlety.

"RING!"

"Sorry about this, I have to answer." He said as he grabbed the device.

"Mendez here."

"_John its Cortana, I picked something of interest, return when you can, inform upon arrival._"

"Of course, I'll be there as soon as I can." He said before disconnecting.

"Is everything all right?" Carol asked.

"My sister, always calling at inopportune moments, she wants me to make a stop at the grocer's for some milk." He replied openly, internally he wondered what could be the reason for the call.

"Does this mean you have to go now?" Jen said, disappointed at his departure, she was actually enjoying his company.

"I'm afraid so, I…" he was interrupted by the beeps of his key chain, or at least that was what it looked like, in reality it alerted him when someone tried to steal his car.

"Sigh, please excuse me someone is trying to steal my car…again." He said as he got up and left a trio of perplexed women, they looked at one another for a minute before getting up and following him.

_In the alleyway…_

John resisted the urge to massage his head.

"**One would think that in a city filled with heroes, crime would be a thing of the past.**" He thought as he headed to the alley, unmindful of the women tailing him.

He arrived in time to see a group of thugs, 5 in total, attempting to hot wire the Hog, of course that was an exercise in futility.

"I would appreciate you would please stop doing that." He told them in an even tone.

"Well guys looks like we got someone trying to be a tough guy, tell you what give us the keys and we leave you alone." One of them said.

"No, now leave before I am force to take action against you." Again he spoke in an even tone.

"This guy doesn't seem to get it does he?" another spoke as now all five came together and surrounded him, unaware of just how big a mistake they were making.

"This will be my last warning to you leave or else." He said as he tensed his body.

"How about fuck you, you like that answer mother…ugh" he never saw the fist coming.

The other were shocked at the speed he had demonstrated, and again this proved their undoing as he delivered a round house kick to the one at his back leaving three men still standing.

They soon backed away to get some breathing room, one even pulling out a knife, another grabbed a discarded board.

Jen, Carol and Ororo came around the corner and saw the beginning of the conflict.

"We have to help him." Jen quickly spoke.

"Wait I think he has everything in hand." Storm said.

"She's right Jen let's wait and see how this plays out first." Carol spoke next.

Jennifer gave it a thought then nodded; she turned to look at the man.

The first thug came at him with a right hook followed by a left cross, easily evading him John cupped his right hand and smack the left ear, disorienting him, he followed that by delivering a left hook to the liver, and dropped down grabbed left knee as the man yelled in pain and drove his fist forward, making a audible crack drowned out by more screams.

The next man to try his luck was the one armed with a board; he obviously had no experience fighting as he yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran at the Spartan whose back was turned.

The women were about to yell at him to doge or get out of the way when they saw him drop down and smash his elbow into the man's stomach, it must have a pretty powerful blow as he clutched his wounded area and vomited his contents, before he could continue he was grabbed by the back of his head and was driven forward while his head was smashed against the concrete, knocking him out.

John had to be careful not to kill anyone, so his strength was limited, still his blows were still quite devastating.

"John! Behind you!" He heard Jen say, this proved distraction enough as he saw the other man with the knife come at him fast with a swipe, he managed to dodge most of it, but got clipped in his right pectoral,. It managed to break the skin but was not too deep, however he had to will the colony not to heal that or else he might blow his cover.

"Now you've done it." He said to the man still in an even tone, as he rushed the man.

The knife wielder did not expect that and paid for it badly.

First John delivered a right hook to the left ribs bruising several, Left hook to the jaw breaking it, straight kick to the left knee breaking that and a head butt breaking the man's nose and rendering him unconscious, he would live but be in extreme pain later on.

He finally turned around to face the heroines who ran towards him.

"John! You ok?" Storm asked.

"Is HE okay? Look at these guys, they look like they went ten rounds with Cap and lost every damn one." Jen said as she marveled at the man's results.

"**Of course they deserved it but man…**" she thought to herself.

"You're hurt!" Carol quickly drew the others attention to the cut on his chest, it was long but not deep, still it was bleeding.

"Not too worry; I have a first aid kit in my car." He told before headed towards the Hog.

"John I have two questions for you, where did you get it? And where can I get one?" Jen said as she saw his ride and liked what she saw.

Carol and Storm both marveled at the vehicle.

"It's a custom job Jen, and I have been sworn to secrecy." He said to her as he opened the compartment where he kept a basic med kit, filled with bandages and disinfectant bought from a pharmacy, his medical equipment was in another compartment.

"Oh poo, well can you give us a ride?" She asked hopefully, she wanted to at least experience the vehicle at least.

"Where you headed?" he asked as he removed the shirt to get the wound cleaned and covered or at least to avoid unnecessary explanations.

"GASP!"

"John what happened to you?" Storm asked as she saw the numerous scars he had gained over his illustrious career in the UNSC.

"Battle scars from my time in the Navy." He replied as per the cover story they had fabricated.

"**What did he fight? Godzilla?**" Carol thought as she saw bullet wounds, Knife wounds and burns she had never seen before.

"Here let me help you with that." She said as she grabbed the iodine and cotton swab.

"All right." He said seeing no harm in it.

"What rank where you?" Storm asked as she continued to gaze at the scars.

"Master Chief Petty Officer." He replied.

"What? But you look like you're in your 20's." Jen said surprised by the man's rank and his looks.

"I age well Ms. Walters, I am 34 by the way, and I was formally discharge after I lost my unit in a conflict in the Persian Gulf, which is all I can say in the matter." He replied, though in actuality he was in his fifties to sixties because of cryo sleep.

(A/N: I don't know the normal ages this rank is achieved; I based myself on a movie I saw.)

"This might hurt John." Carol said in advance.

"That's all right, I am accustomed to pain." He replied as memories of battles past came to him.

Carol shrugged and applied the disinfectant, not as much as a flinch he gave at that.

"**Makes you wonder what he is been through to get that way.**" She thought as she continued to work, though it was not easy as his body, though marred by healed wounds, was still incredible fit, and her own hormones were giving her a hard time.

"**Keep it together woman, this no time to ogle, maybe later, after you get a phone or address.**" She thought to herself while fighting the urge to blush.

Jen was more open with her desires as she took in every inch she could see, the scars making him look more rugged.

Storm just glance but even she had to admit he was quite the looker, though that was not all she felt.

"**He has this presence that is so similar to Logan, but different, Logan is wild, feral and untamed, but he feels controlled, focus and driven, why do I feel he is more than he appears?**" she thought as she looked at the man.

"There finished." Carol said as she finished applying the bandage.

"Thank you, now then where are you heading?" He asked while mentally ordering the colony to heal the wound now that it was covered.

"You can take us to Westchester if it´s not too much inconvenience." Storm asked.

"But I…" Carol started to speak but Storm cut her off.

"Carol you need to relax once in a while, besides this way you can finally visit, Beast would love to chat with you and Jen." She said.

"I´m game, if it´s no problem with you John?" She said as she looked at him.

"It is of no inconvenience to me as it's on my way to Bayville." He said thankful that all none civilian issue modifications were discreet.

"Fine, I´ll join this band wagon." She said in a huff but gave a smile at the thought of seeing old friends; though she hoped Rogue was not there it always got awkward with her.

"Everyone hop in and hold on once we are out of the city it gets interesting." John said as he started the vehicle, startling the women with the powerful growl it gave.

"This is going to be good." Jen told the others.

Minutes later they arrived at a mansion that bordered the forests and the community, a plaque read "Xavier's School for the Gifted", and they were parked outside the large iron gates, an intercom next to it, John pressed the button and waited for a response.

"Here we are." John said as he looked at them, all with differing degrees of shock.

"**Hmm, perhaps I should not have gone 100 miles while at the turns.**"

Jen was grinning like mad.

Carol looked queasy.

And Storm had her eyes closed and muttered something in her native language.

"BZZZ!"

"_Hello, and welcome to Xavier's school for the gifted how may I help you?_" A woman's voice asked.

"Hello, I am here to leave Ms. Monroe and her friends here." He replied.

"_One moment please, while the gates open._" The woman said, a minute later the gates creaked and opened down the middle.

John started the car and slowly made his way to the entrance.

"Well end of the line ladies, I do apologize if my driving skills have affected you in a bad way." John said to them.

"Are you kidding? That was great! I haven't felt that excited since our last mission." She said to him with a wide smile.

"Though I am reluctant to agree, I do thank you for the ride, it was very…unique." Storm as she got out on wobbly legs, John went to her to help.

"I do apologize for that, I am used to high speeds, it is a remnant of my career you could say." He said to the woman as he held her arm and supported her back, once she was stable he let go and went to check on Carol, missing a slight look of disappointment, though Jen saw and called her on it.

"Why Storm, are you going sweet on him?" She asked in a sweet tone.

"I…He…you, it's not." Was the reply she got.

"Well John I guess I can say freely I haven't felt that dizzy, since my first barrel role in an F – 16." She said as she was helped out.

"I see well if it's any consolation I had my eyes closed in the tight corners." He joked.

"With the way you drive I believe it." She said to him smiling at him.

At that point the door opened revealing a man in a white muscle shirt, blue jeans and belt with a maple leaf on it, he was not very tall, but definitely was muscular, he had a wild look to him, he was casually holding a beer in one hand and was looking straight at John.

"Welcome back 'Ro, Carol good to see ya." Logan said to them though never stopping to look at John.

John knew what he was doing, he was being weighed and measured, the man's profile said that he was very protective of the place, and always on the lookout for threats to the residents.

"What am I chopped liver?" She – hulk spoke up.

"Walters, seen your cousin by any chance?" He asked casually.

"No, why?"

"Felt bored, thought he would be good for a brawl." He said in an even tone as he took a swig of his beverage, he had yet to break eye contact.

"Only you Logan." Carol said with a shake, thinking he was probably the only person on the planet who thinks fighting the Hulk would relieve boredom.

Storm eventually saw how intense he was looking at John.

"John this is Logan he is one of the teachers here." Ororo said as she presented the Spartan to him.

"Hello." He said calmly as he held out his hand.

Logan looked at him before taking his hand in a firm grip.

"You got some grip there, you military or something?" Wolverine asked not letting go.

"Ex Navy, though I still work out, habits and all." He said coolly, ignoring the man's attempt to gauge him, to maintain his cover.

"I know how it is, nice ride by the way." The feral mutant said as he let go.

"Thank you; it's a custom job from a friend."

"Must be some friend to give something like that."

"John would like to come in before you leave?" Storm said as to him as he broke away from Logan.

"No thank you Ororo, I must be going, my sister tend to get moody when I am late." He said to her and gave her a small smile.

"Well if you must go, but feel free to visit, I enjoyed our talk and would like to hear more on the subject." She said as she returned the smile.

"Perhaps I will, Carol, Jen it was a pleasure to talk to you both." he said to them both as he shook their hands.

"Pleasure was ours John, keep that cut clean ok?" Carol said as she let go of his hand.

"If you ever feel like stopping by the Avengers mansion, you just ask for me and I'll give you a detailed tour just for you." Jen said with a wink, Carol rolled her eyes, though she hoped he would take up the offer to learn more of him.

"I shall consider it, thank you, and good bye to you too Mr…?" he asked of Logan.

"Logan will do." He replied as he shook the hand.

"Good bye Logan." He said, before getting in the car and driving off.

"Oh yeah, I am so looking forward to a visit." Jen said as she watched him leave.

"He was nice, though he seems a little reserved." Carol spoke.

"True but still…" Storm spoke.

"There's something wrong with him." Logan said through narrowed eyes.

"He smells strange." He continued.

"Jeez Logan, you say that about everyone you meet." Carol said as she and the group move to enter.

"And I am right most of time Carol." He said to her.

"Well I am sure that he is a bit strange, I think he should be given the benefit of the doubt before you grill him Logan." Storm added.

"Oh, and that would not have anything to do that he is a grad A beefcake, would now Storm." Jen teased getting a blush from the weather controller.

"**Ugh, I am going to need another beer for this train wreck.**" Logan thought as the women began to discuss the man.

_Halsey residence…_

John had arrived as quickly as he could to the house to see whatever Cortana wished for him to see, he parked the Hog in the garage and from there went inside to the living were he could the Commander and Cortana going over video footage of a jungle.

"_What took you so long?_" Cortana asked in genuine curiosity.

"Needed to drop some newly made acquaintances to their homes." He replied.

"_Oh? And what were their names and were they pretty?_" She asked.

"Cortana, the debrief." He said in a tone that he was not telling.

"_Oh you're no fun._" She replied "**I'll just check the video feeds later.**" She thought to herself.

"It appears two terrorist organizations are looking for something in the Amazon, or at least that's what SHIELD has detected." Miranda spoke.

"Which ones?" John asked as he reviewed the collected data.

"HYDRA and AIM, both have worked in the past on several ventures to overthrow the world governments or cause some major calamity." She replied.

"_Our satellites found them excavating some ancient ruins south of the river; they appear to be quite determined to get whatever is there._" Cortan spoke as she showed them using blasting and mining equipment.

"I assume we are to investigate this." John asked.

"Both of us will, you may need back up on this one Chief, seeing as the Avengers are being called in on this one." Keyes said to him.

"Shall we make first contact?" He asked already going over what they could need for the mission.

"Not yet, first let's see what those two are up to then we decide."

"As you wish Commander."

"All righty lets head on up and suit up." She said as she and the Spartan headed for the basement were the teleport platform was located.

"Redeeming begin sequence." She ordered into the ether.

"_Acknowledged, beginning transit._" Was the reply and soon after the disappeared in a flash.

_Forward Unto Dawn…_

Another flash took place and there they appeared in the cargo hold, it was disorienting at first but they got used to it eventually.

"_Greetings Commander, Reclaimer._" The monitor spoke.

"Hello, Redeeming, how are things here?" She asked as she could see engineers patrolling around, probably looking for imperfections.

"_All is well Commander, do you require anything for the mission?_" it asked.

"Yes, prep a Pelican for transport, outfit with 70mm autocannon and Anvil II missiles, also load a M12LRV with the M41." She ordered.

"_At once._" It relied as it relayed the orders to some engineers to inspect and outfit the vehicle.

"Expecting resistance Commander?" John asked as they both headed to the armory to get change.

"Rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." She replied, to which he nodded.

Both went in and John headed for the MJOLNIR while she went to change into her choice of BDU's.

John went through the routine of placing the armor piece by piece, inspecting it before putting it on, a habit that had gotten him through many battles, finally he placed on the helmet, immediately feeling the rush of cold that signified Cortana interfacing.

"_It will be interesting to see the Commander in action once more._" She said.

"**Yes last time I saw her in a fight was when we fought are way towards the Amber on Cairo.**" He replied mentally.

He proceed to arm himself first with his trusted MA5C Assault Rifle, a BR55HB SR on his back, Two M6 with Sound suppressors in case they need quiet kills on his thighs, he took a pair of Covenant Swords as well, and filled his Rucksack with plasma, frag, incendiary, sonic and EMP grenades, he finally ended with C7 canisters, C4 and C12 incase demolition was required, he once more thank Offensive for the upgraded storage, with he now never had to worry about something detonating the explosives.

"You look like you're about to take on a regiment of Brutes and Hunters." Miranda asked behind him.

He looked at her and saw her wearing the ODST BDU Recon version minus the helmet, he was glad she chosen that as it was better suited for the environment they were heading into.

"I like to come prepared." He replied.

"I hear ya." She said as she started to load up, she took a large Rucksack and filled it with ammo, supplies and tech they may need, She took an M90, a M6 Magnum, A M7 sub machine gun with built in suppressor, and a BR55HB SB.

"Let's go, times a wasting." She said before putting on the helmet, he nodded and followed to the hanger bay, where their ride was waiting.

"Look after ship while we are gone." She said to the monitor.

"_As always Commander, be safe, both of you._" It replied, and they nodded at that, it quickly ordered all to move away from the vehicle bay.

"Strap in Chief, this is where things get fun." Miranda said in glee, after all she was experienced in flying the many wings of the UNSC.

"_Launch in 5…4…3…2…1, Mark_" was the last thing heard as they dropped at high speed into the Earth blazing a trail as they did.

_Meanwhile at Avengers Mansion…_

Jennifer and Carol had returned in the evening to the base of operations of the Avengers, when Steve had told them of a meeting at the war room.

They suited up in their respective uniforms, Jen in her one piece purple – white suit with black fingerless gloves and sneakers, Carol in her black one piece with the yellow bolt down the middle and a red sash tied around it, Mid thigh boots, long black gloves and domino mask, once dressed they met in the room and found other members there along with Captain America at the head.

"Thank you for joining us ladies, now we can begin the meeting." He said as he turned to the screen.

"Coronel Fury has asked the Avengers to investigate some strange activity in the Amazon, HYDRA and AIM have been sighted there near ancient ruins, why they are there is still unknown, but we are going in to find out and stop whatever it is they have planned." He paused to let them digest that.

"I will lead the mission, and have selected those who will accompany me, Tony in case we need to hack into their information network, Natasha and T'challa to aid in infiltration, Hawkeye will be our long range support and Jen and Carol will be our heavy support should things get dicey, any questions." He asked.

"Yes I have one, can we make a stop afterwards for some brazil nuts, I have a sudden urge for some." Clint asked much to the annoyance of all, the man may be a respected member but sometimes he pushed the line.

"Any INTELLEGENT questions?" Cap asked again

"Hey!"

"Any of the usual suspects involved with HYDRA or AIM there?" She – Hulk asked.

"Unknown but prepare for the worst just in case, if there are no more questions…" he paused "…Let's move out." He ordered unaware of the meeting that would take place.

To be continued…

A/N: well there you have another installment of this cross, no action yet but next chapter has two factions facing a Spartan, and you can bet they are not going to walk away from this one.

A word of warning I am placing this one in the proper category once I finish DC chapter.

Miranda will play a part in the assault; I just won't have her face of against any big bad's alone, let's face John is the one with the high Tech armor, which brings me to another point, who should he face off against? I was thinking on having The Crimson Dynamo and Titanium Man as they would be on board with AIM just to get better tech, HYDRA I can't remember who has been allied with them, I'll check.

That scene with the Marvel girls was placed because I don't like to drag out meetings so much, and I like to place in who I like for him, sure Storm may seem OC but it is a fanfic where anything could happen, I do think Jennifer would act that way and Carol is part military part civilian, she can't be Ms. Marvel all the time, and yes I may have put her as Warbird, but now and forever she is Ms. Marvel for me, who's with me?.

On a completely unrelated event, why has no one tried for a Spidey/ Ms. Marvel pairing? Marvel practically gave that away for us to exploit, unlike them who went with a newbie, I mean they cut out Black Cat with her friends with benefits deal, MJ is a no show, and they don't explain what happens after Siege with the blonde bombshell? WTF! I am pleased by the She Hulk and Ms. Marvel stories I have seen, I think there was a Tigra and Songbird variations, and recently I found a Rogue/Spidey where she has a symbiote, my thanks to those who made them.

By the way I am not planning on giving him a symbiote the armor is enough, though maybe Miranda could use one…maybe, will see later, and with that I am out of here.


	4. Chapter 4

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Chapter 3:

_Amazon rain forest, 7:00 PM_

The trip to the rain forest was thankfully uneventful, the commander had found a clearing to land the Pelican in, once they released the Warthog and John placed a NAV marker, they engaged the cloak and took off, John was in the driver's seat since he had better skills behind the wheel, earned through his many harrowing escapes from doomed ships and facilities, Miranda was watching the GPS from the passenger seat.

They stuck to the trails that smugglers and drug runners used to move their illicit products around, Keyes made a note to have them sent to the proper authorities later; they had committed themselves to at least aid this Earth in a capacity that did not compromise them to the public, no need to draw unwanted attention.

As they travelled the Commander took her time enjoying the scenery.

"_Penny for your thoughts Commander?_" Cortana spoke through the armor.

"Just enjoying the view, let's face it the Rain Forest wars pretty much decimated all of this, so I like that we can at least enjoy it now that we have been given a chance to look at it in all its splendor." She said.

John simply nodded as per the academic curriculum he and the others studied the records of the event and new that much of what was his reality South American rain forest back on Earth were wipe out because of the confrontation between the UN, Frieden and Koslovic forces, it led to massive shortage of resources and human life as well.

"Cortana, what can you tell us about both groups?" He asked, knowing that any bit of information could prove critical once the bullets started flying and people's lives were on the line.

"_One moment…All right let's start off with HYDRA, load me up into the Warthog Chief._" She said.

"Cortana the Warthog's can't handle you like the Pelicans, Longsword's or Albatross can." He said to her.

"_Oops I knew I forgot to mention something._" She said in mock shame.

"Cortana…"

"_Oh all right you big baby, me and Redeeming Bias, have been modifying the vehicles to be able to accommodate me, since despite my upgrades I am still more compact than him, it was a side project to our surprise we have in store for you._" She replied.

"And when will we see this surprise?" Miranda asked as she could not find a way to get a peek at it, much to her frustration.

"_Now, now Commander, all good things to those who wait, let's just say it's in case the Chief has to deal with a certain Green Giant with anger management problems, now load me up Chief._" She replied.

He shrugged and did as asked, placing his hand onto the on board computer, where she soon appeared, and activated the holo display.

"HYDRA is a criminal organization dedicated to the achievement of world domination through terrorist and subversive activities on various fronts, resulting in a fascist New World Order. Its extent of operations is worldwide, always attempting to elude the ongoing counter-espionage operations by S.H.I.E.L.D." She said as she displayed its members wearing green jumpsuits with a yellow H and cowl face mask that cover the upper half of their faces, and red lenses, its symbol was that of a skull with tentacles underneath.

"It is leaded and funded by this man" an image of a bald man with some facial scars in different uniforms appeared "Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, he usurped leadership from the founding members of the Japanese cult known as the Hand, used his personal fortune from his time as a Nazi and funds from the original leaders, and has steered it towards world domination, he like Captain America, Nick Fury and the Red Skull are from around World War II aiding Hitler in his war with the allied forces." She paused.

"What about their Tech and personnel?" Keyes asked.

"They have highly advanced technology, some of alien origin, which has allowed them to create several dangerous weaponry as well as devices that could have led them to ruling the planet had it not been for the intervention of SHIELD and the heroes who clash with them."

"Their leadership is headed by Strucker or Supreme HYDRA, he is followed by a committee who in turn have division chiefs, however when Strucker was apparently killed through means involving a deadly virus they engineered it split up into several factions that have made their own attempts to achieve global domination, even going so far as to delve into creating their own metahuman agents, however some break away or cross over to the heroes band."

"Oh yeah, compared to insurrectionists these guys are a real homely bunch, what about AIM?" She asked the A.I

"A.I.M or Advanced Idea Mechanics, was once a faction of HYDRA, made up of brilliant scientist of different fields, however when the organization suffered a crippling blow, they split off and tried to conquer the world through technological means, now however they act as highly advanced arms manufacturers and dealers, their leaders are varied and unknown until they are killed or captured and even then they continue to survive." She spoke as she showed images of them.

"We are facing off against smart Bee keepers?" John asked in an even tone, though in reality he was caught between humor and confusion, Keyes however did laugh at the comment.

"Oh man, Johnson would have had a fit with that one, but seriously Cortana, are they for real?" She asked as she got it under control.

"Despite their odd choice in uniform they have made a name for themselves, for three very important and powerful inventions, 1) the object known as the Cosmic Cube, a hand held device that was capable of altering the fabric of reality, 2) the Super Adaptoid, an android with a sliver of the cube built in, he could take on the appearance and powers of other beings and finally MODOK, the acronym stands for Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing." She said as she showed images of all three.

"He is a mutated AIM scientist who, by means of Bionic and Genetic manipulations, took control for a time the organization, he was as smart as Richards or Stark and as deadly as Doom or Strucker, he was confirmed to have been assassinated by a subversive faction within the organization."

"This group has faced off against everybody, heroes and villains alike, if someone has tech they want they will do everything they can to get it, so watch yourselves, they cannot be allowed to get a hold of anyone of us." She finished.

"Got it, how far out are we from the target area?" the Spartan asked.

"3 clicks east, there is a cliff area we can use to get a bird's eye view of the situation, will have to leave our ride though, there is good spot half a mile from the location." Cortana spoke.

He nodded then placed his hand on the computer, the feel of cold water telling him his partner was back in, and pushed the pedal down a little further.

_Later at the cliff…_

They had disembarked their vehicle and marked it, making sure to hide it with the cloaking device, and hiked the rest of the way, thankfully the Commander own training regiment helped her keep the pace with the Chief and soon both of them were overlooking the pyramids that were now seeing activity after who knows how long, of course given the fact that the activity was of the terrorist kind embittered the scenery.

Thankfully they had good cover and were at a good distance to look in on them, Miranda took out her binoculars and the Chief used the armors upgraded optics to take a look, the AIM group seemed to be milling about studying the hieroglyphs on the walls taking samples, excavating around, while the HYDRA soldiers stood guard or did the heavy lifting, they noted there was some kind of antenna around the camp.

"What could they possibly want to find here among ancient ruins? And why would they need that many antennas?" Miranda asks as she peers through her binoculars.

"There could be something buried there that has caught both of their interests, and I don't think their using them as a communications relay." John supplied as he scan all major entry points into the camp, weapons and personnel.

"_Energy readings show some interference, I think they are some kind of scrambler system, that's why SHIELD had some trouble finding them, or else they would be swarming this place, we should probably take them out…_"

"Wait, something is happening." She spoke as an AIM scientist came rushing out of the primary temple, John used the MJOLNIR's enhanced audio receptors to pick up the chatter and relay it to the Commander.

"_We found it! Get everyone over here now!_" he shouted.

"_Are you serious?_" another rushed to the scene as quickly as he could.

"_Yes we just broke past the sacrificial chamber, we found a shaft that leads us 60 meters down and into the cave, it was right there in perfect shape._" The man replied.

"_All right people let's go, 1139 contact the Scientist Supreme and Baron Strucker, inform them that we have located the target, the rest of you HYDRA agents keep watch._" The informed man said to all, marking him as the head of this expedition.

John cut the feed and looked at the Commander for orders.

Miranda's thoughts were all over the place as she tried to think what "it" could be, whatever it is they found, both organizations wanted it bad enough that they would cooperate to do so, finally she turned to the Spartan.

"Chief, go down there and follow those scientists, you're cloaking systems are better suited for that, see what it is they found, meanwhile I'll check around the camp for any additional info, we meet back at the Warthog, as soon as we both finish, if you are discovered terminate them, we can't let them get their hands on whatever is down there, for all we know it could be some kind of weapon." She said with authority.

"Understood, watch yourself Commander." He said to her before activating the cloak.

"You too guys." She said as she turned to infiltrate the camp.

_Meanwhile with the Avengers…_

The heroes were currently above the Brazilian cityscape, each quietly contemplating the coming mission, Ironman was at the controls, with Captain America in the co pilot's seat, the others seated behind him.

"Any new reports on them Captain?" Natasha asked.

"No, SHIELD's satellites haven't been able to pin point their exact location, and the locals haven't seen anything that could indicate anything out of the ordinary, still will proceed as planned, land near a clearing spotted south of the target location, once there Tony and Carol will take Natasha and T'Challa to the site, we will hike the rest of the way until they return for us, during that time they shall recon the area and see if they can find out what it is HYDRA and AIM find so interesting here, once done we deal with them." The man said to them.

"Wait! We have to hike, while Widow and Panther get a ride?" Hawkeye asked, the tone of his voice clearly showing he was not pleased with the idea, Jennifer, who coincidently sat next to him, never one to miss a chance to verbally bash the man quickly added her thoughts.

"Ah what's' the matter? Are you afraid you'll get your tights dirty? Don't worry; I can carry you if you like." She said in a mocking tone as she patted his hand in a manner one would comfort a child.

"Listen here you! I may not have Gamma powers, but the day I need to be carried like an invalid will be the day hell freezes over, so there!" He replied as he crossed his arms and muttered something about smartass women and other such nonsense.

"Point and match to me."She said with a satisfied smile, earning some chuckles from the others, and a glare from the archer.

"So ladies." Steve began "How was your day with Storm and the others?" he asked as he was interested in hearing how the X-men were doing after that, in his opinion, idiotic operation to capture all mutants.

"It was nice, Hank sends his best wishes to everyone in the mansion, his hoping to run something by Tony and T'Challa, and it's in regards to our mysterious friend the Spartan." Carol spoke first.

"Oh? We'll have to give him a ring then when we get back." Tony said while the Panther nodded.

"Yeah but the best part of the day was the pizzeria, or more precisely who we met there." Jen added with a smile.

"What's his name?" Natasha asked in a humor filled tone, thankful for the few moments she could find, being an agent of SHIELD was all about business, no time for relaxing with friends and such.

"How do you figure that?" She asked.

"Please, you go through more boy toys like Tony does with girls with curves and pretty faces." Hawkeye spoke to get some payback.

"Hey!" Ironman replied at the barb "I'm not that bad!" no one chose to comment on that.

"Listen here Robin Hood, just because you refuse to move on doesn't mean you get criticize me." She rebuffed.

"I have moved on! I just haven't found right one yet." He spoke quietly.

"Yeah right, the last time anyone's seen you on a date was when Tony fixed you up with that French Victoria secret model, which made a pass at Janet." She said, again earning a laugh as many found it funny that the Wasp was red as a tomato when that happened, Steve being the gentleman he was chose to cut her some slack, of course he didn't get the big deal at the time.

"And you didn't even get to first base with her; I had to practically bribe her agent to get you that date." Tony said.

"Hey! It's not my fault she just wanted to brag about doing the deed with an Avenger, now all of you leave my love life out of this, so Carol who was that caught mean green's eye this time?" He asked to back at the topic at hand.

"Not just mine Carol and Ororo were ogling him just as hard." She said casually, missing the Black Panther suddenly tense at hearing that, nor did she notice he was now listening intently.

Carol blushes a bit at that because she did do just that and more.

"I did not ogle him, it just his complexion that caught me off guard." She said to defend herself.

"Girl, you got to touch him without his shirt on."

"How did that happen?" Natasha asked.

"Someone tried to steal his ride, and boy did they pay for it, I mean he wailed on them like Cap does on the Red Skull, one of them got lucky enough to cut him, and Carol here gave him first aid." Jen said with mirth and a little jealousy.

"So this guy got training or something?" Clint asked.

"He is Ex-Navy, and his got some serious scars to prove it, he also has a ridiculously high pain threshold, he didn't flinch when he got cut or when I treated the wound." Carol replied.

"And some sweet muscles to go with that bod." Jen smiled at the memory.

"What rank was he?" Cap asks.

"Master Chief Petty Officer, though he left when something happened to his unit, wouldn't say what, but then again he does come off as a rather reserved person."

"Then wouldn't he be in his forty's to get that rank?"

"Actually he says his 34, but I swear he looks 25." Jen says to her friends.

"What exactly did Storm think of him?" the Black Panther asks.

"Well, he doesn't have a problem with mutants for one thing, and he actually seems rather insightful, he made a very good argument on their behalf that got me thinking, heck when he took us to the mansion she asked him to stay for a chat, though I think Logan scared him off." Warbird replied.

"Why would Logan do that if the guy was polite?" Natasha asks with suspicion, anyone who could set that man off deserved to be looked into.

"He said there was something wrong with him, but he didn't act like he was planning to raid the place, so maybe it's just Logan being himself." Jen replied this time.

"He has a name?" the Black Widow asks.

"John Mendez Halsey, pale skin, brown eyes, brown air in a military cut, looks to be about 6'11" and well built." Jen replied, which made everyone wonder why she gave such a detailed description, Tony decided to ask.

"Uh any reason for such an answer Jen?" Ironman asks.

"Natasha has her "Fury" look on her face."

"Look?" the red head asks, not knowing whether to be offended or confused.

"Yeah, you get it whenever you channel him, and are about to perform a thorough investigation on a person based on little information and wild assumptions, I figured you could use a head start." The emerald Amazon says to her team mate.

"I just like to err on the side of caution." She said in a huff.

"Just like Fury." Clint added.

"I do not do that, right?" she asks the others but receives silence.

"Guys?" more silence.

She curses in Russian.

"Fine, I won't investigate him all right." She says as she crosses her arms and looks away, some of them enjoying the occasion that she is caught off guard.

"Actually could you get me his phone number and address?" Jen asked seriously.

Before the Widow could consider using her wrist blasters…

"Coming up on the clearing." Tony says.

"Take us down Tony." Cap asks his friend, he nods and begins the descent when alarms suddenly ring.

"What's going on!" Clint yells.

"Proximity sensors detect something below us!" Ironman replies as he keeps the jet floating.

"What? I don't see anything, are you sure?" Carol says as she looks out the window.

"Positive, I had them calibrated this morning, there is something below us, hang on I will try to maneuver us into a better position, and hopefully this won't be a trap." He said to the group as he moved the controls to land the plan.

Finally he does, a few minutes later and nothing happens, Cap orders them all to head out, they look around but find nothing there.

"Are you getting any readings Tony?" Steve asks as he remains ready in case of attack.

"Nothing on radar or infrared, whatever it is, my armor can't get a good lock on it." He replied.

"Thump!" "What the hell!" the voice of Hawkeye reaches them.

The team moves towards him and find him touching thin air like a mime.

"I think I found it, whatever it is, feels metallic." He said to the others and they in turn run their hands on it.

"Stand back I am going to use a low level blast with my repulsors." Ironman says as he activates the weapons on his palms.

"Is that wise course of action?" T'Challa asks.

"Right now we can't afford to have any surprises." He said as he fired off a blue beam.

The struck and suddenly what they felt was revealed as the Pelican John and the Commander had used.

The Avenges were shocked by the discovery.

However the attack on the vehicle sent a silent alarm to Cortana.

_With the Spartan…_

John and Cortana had silently made their way into the camp, avoiding anything that could give their location away, most people, both civilian and military, thought Spartans weren't made for stealth missions, they were of course mistaken as some mission, such as assassinations or recons required it, add John's upgrade, one can rest assured that they will not find him unless he wants to be found.

They had already entered the pyramid and neared the entrance to the tunnel.

"_John someone's found the Pelican, cloak is down._" Cortana spoke as the message from the copy she made came through.

"**Is it HYDRA or AIM?**" he sent to her.

"_No, sensors show that it's the Avengers, they must have found it by accident, and decloaked when Ironman fired on it._"

"**Why would he fire at it?**"

"_They're here to stop these two, and since were unknowns, they didn't know what it was; it was a low blast, probably to disrupt the cloak, still what should we do?_" She asked.

"**No choice but to get it out of there, we can't afford them to get nosy with our ride, is there anything else we should know?**"

"_Yes, satellites show Ironman and Warbird are carrying Black Panther and Black Widow towards our direction, I don't think it's to attack though or else they would have done so already, I think they want information, before they strike, still I don't think they ready for us though._"

"**Right, will have to be careful, inform Commander Keyes, tell her about our incoming guests meanwhile we will continue the mission, and it's her call if she wants to initiate contact.**"

"_Roger, sending now._"

_Back at the Pelican…_

Captain America, Hawkeye and She-Hulk were waiting near the strange vehicle for their friends to return, they choose to stay in case the owners made an appearance, hence they hid in the bushes and trees, however that plan was soon going to be shot down…

"So who do you think this thing belongs to Cap?" Clint asked the man who had more military contact.

"Not sure, the design and coloring is distinctly military, but to my knowledge no one has built anything like it." He replied.

"Could be Fury testing his toys without telling us." Jen added her own opinion.

"No the man may keep secrets, but to do so while during an operation involving HYDRA or AIM, that puts too much at risk, also why is there no one here in case something like this happens, no whoever owns it is not part of SHIELD, military perhaps but…" he stopped when a whining noise was heard from the machine's engines.

It slowly grew until they ignited.

"You were saying!" Clint yelled over the noise.

It suddenly began to lift off the ground slowly, until it retracted the landing gear, and slowly gained height, Hawkeye upon seeing it reached into pack and pulled out an arrow with an electronic device on the head, he took aim at the tail wing and fired.

"Thunk!"

"Gotcha." He said as the Pelican reapplied the cloak and flew off.

"What was that?" Jen asked the archer.

"Tracking arrow, now we can follow it with the Quinjet." He said.

"Good thinking Clint, once we finish here we can track it down and maybe get some answers." Steve spoke.

Just then the flyers came back and found a clearing with no strange craft.

"What happened? Where's that plane?" Carol asked.

"Flew off, we must have triggered something." Jen said to her.

"I thought you said there was no one on board." She asked the man in red and gold armor.

"I did, my scans showed no life signs and no traps or alarms." He replied equally confused.

"Relax Carol, I hit it with a tracking arrow, we can follow it later, right now though we have some nerds to bust and snakes to skin." He said to them.

"Right, let's go team!" Cap said as Ironman grabbed him and Hawkeye while Warbird took Jen.

_With Keyes…_

The Commander quietly had made it to the camp and followed the scientist towards the communications relay; she had received Cortana's info and was measuring the pros and cons of making contact with the heroes.

She shelved those thoughts for later as she hid in bush as the scientist entered a domed shape tent, two guards on either side; she carefully pulled out a listening device from her pack.

"**Thank you ONI spooks.**" She thought as she hooked it up to her helmet to listen in on the conversation.

"…"

"_This is 1139, calling Scientist supreme and Baron Stucker._"

"…"

"_Report 1139._" A female voice said, a hint of European accent, possibly Italian, could be heard.

"_We have found the target and a team has been sent to confirm its condition._"

"_Excellent! Soon we shall obtain a wealth of knowledge that shall tip the scales in our favor._" A man voice said. "**That must be Strucker, so the woman must be the head of AIM.**" Miranda thought as she continued to listen in.

"_I have sent two independent agents to help with security, Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo; they have been given some upgrades for their services._" The woman spoke.

"_The Grim Reaper and Viper as well as some additional personnel shall join them to oversee the operation, they should arrive soon, have my men deferred to them._" Strucker spoke.

"_Are the scramblers working?_" the woman asks.

"_Yes madam, we have yet to be detected by SHIELD and the few locals who have stumbled upon us have been dealt with._"

"_Good, we cannot afford failure, continue as order and when you breach the target inform us at once, is that clear?_"

"_Yes, Scientist Supreme._"

And with that communications were stopped.

"**Better head back to the Warthog; I'll inform John and Cortana on the way.**" She thought as she maneuvered the bush back to the vehicle.

_Back with John and Cortana…_

They had calmly made their way into the tunnel only stopping to avoid the scientist who went to inform the leaders, the Commander told them about the conversation and he frown upon hearing of the additional elements, according to files Cortana had on this people they were no pushovers, they would have to be cautious.

After some time they entered a large cavern, it appeared to have manmade structures such as stairs carved from the very earth as well as some caves, possible used to house workers, however all that paled when the saw the object both terrorist desired.

A large alien vessel, it was green, and cross shaped, it was half buried underground, the top half nearly touching the cavern ceiling.

"**Cortana what is that?**" He asked as he hid himself inside one of the caverns.

"_According to the information I have, it is a Shi'ar Warbird, a very advanced alien race, I can see why someone would want to appropriate it, there must be a wealth of knowledge to be found there, and given what we know of both organizations they aren't going to use it for mankind's benefit._" She said.

"**We better head back to the Commander and come up with a plan.**" He sent to his partner, who silently agreed.

_Minutes later at the Warthog, 8:00 PM…_

The Spartan had made good time and found the Commander their waiting for them.

"Report."

"The object they were looking for is an alien vessel, of an advanced race called the Shi'ar, it is likely they shall strip her down and reverse engineer whatever technology they can find."

"_Which spells bad news for the world._" Cortana added.

"Agreed, options?" Miranda asks.

"I could go back in and set the C-12 charges in key structure points, cause a massive cave in, with luck it will destroy the vessel, if not it will be buried under tons of rock." John suggested.

"Hmm, that's a good plan Chief, however we should make sure no data gets back to the leaders, who knows what they could do with just a fraction of that knowledge, I shall inspect the camp for any sign of transmissions, as well as destroy the communications center they set up."

"_Agreed Commander, but you must be careful, we have super powered agents coming here, if they haven't arrived already, John may be able to handle them but you can't, these people live to inflict pain, so watch yourselves._" Cortana warned.

"What of the Avengers?" the Chief asks, as the Heroes presence could be used to their advantage.

"Hmm, I have an idea…" she spoke.

_With Black Widow and Black Panther…_

Both the spy and the African ruler crept through the jungle towards the ruins; they skillfully evaded patrols, as they closed in.

"Whatever they are guarding must be big." Widow said to her mission partner.

"Indeed, we should locate their information and communications center, it could hold the answers we seek." The man spoke.

She nodded and continued onward until they reached the camp.

"Panther you take the west side, I'll take the east, we'll cover more ground that way, wait 20 minutes, and we meet back here and inform the others of our findings, agreed?" she spoke in a calm precise manner.

"Agreed, watch yourself my friend." He said to her.

"You as well Tovarisch." She replied as they went in opposite directions.

She made her way through the thick vegetation until finally she reached the eastern side of the encampment, there she watched and waited, using her skills to listen for any information that could be provided, she saw a flurry of activity from the main pyramid entrance and a group of AIM scientist walk out with a large briefcase that was being guarded by two HYDRA agents.

She was about to follow when…

"CLICK!" "CLICK!" "CLICK!"

"Hands where we can see them." A man's voice spoke.

"**Shit! Stupid, how can you let get the drop on you?**"

She did as asked and saw two men with guns pointed at her and another behind them, HYDRA agents from the look of things.

"What have we here?" the one on the right asked in mock wonder.

"It's that woman from SHIELD and the Avengers, Black Widow." The one in the back said.

"Man, I just go for a piss, and look what I found, the bosses will be pleased." The one on the left spoke up.

"Think they'll let's have some fun with her?" the one in the back said as he eyed her body.

"I hope so." The left one said, she could tell they were starting to get creative on her.

"**Years of training and successful missions and I screw up now.**" She thought as she thought up how to get away without causing a scene.

"Later guys, right now we should get this bitch to the team leaders, they'll decide what to do with…Glrk!" the man stopped as he suddenly felt something cold and metallic in his back, and blood starting to rise to his mouth, he fell forward and revealed a combat knife lodged in his back.

"What the f…!" "Paft." "Paft." The one on the right took two muffled shots, a headshot and one to the heart as his shock by the death of his comrade left him open.

"Who's out there!" the remaining one yelled, as he kept his gun on the woman, while looking around franticly, he wasn't the only one as Natasha search for the shooter, as she would recognize the sound of a gun with a suppressor anywhere.

"You! Order whoever is out there to come out or I put a bullet in your fucking head bitch!" The frightened HYDRA agent ordered her.

"I don't know who's out there, it just my team of Avengers and they never kill." She said as she could tell the man was panicking badly.

"You're lying! I will kill you if you don't stop it."

"**This is bad; I have to get his gun away from him, if he fires a shot he'll give us away.**" She thought as she looked for an opening, her savior jump in once again.

"No you won't." a man's voice was heard before the agent's gun as well as his hand holding it as something sliced it off at the wrist.

Before he could scream he felt something strong lift him up by the throat, it felt like a massive hand covered in something, then squeezed hard enough his voice box was crushed along with his wind pipe, before he died he saw as his executioner revealed himself to be a large armored man, his dying face reflected of his visor, finally darkness.

Natasha didn't know what to make of this new development, she knew this was the Spartan Fury had asked about, and the two men's description of him didn't do him justice, he was easily 7ft tall, whether because of the armor or by natural height she didn't know, she could also tell this man felt no qualms about killing as he removed the knife from the first man he eliminated and wipe the blood off before sheathing it in a compartment on his armor, though how he sliced off the last man's hand off without the knife she did not know.

"**Or maybe I don't want to.**" She thought.

She saw the weapons he carried two rifles and pistols of unknown make or design, as well some odd handle shaped objects on his waist.

"Are you all right?" He asked her.

"Yes…I'm fine."

"I must remove the bodies or they might give us away, follow me if you wish." The Spartan soldier said to the woman.

She didn't say anything she just nodded, with that done, he grabbed the one with the crushed wind pipe and the one with bullet holes, and placed on his shoulders, she grabbed the severed hand, and followed behind him.

"You're the Spartan aren't you?" she said phrasing it more like a fact than a question.

"Yes, and you're Natasha Romanoff also known as Black Widow, a former KGB agent, and current SHIELD liaison for the Avengers." He said to her, making her stop as he revealed that information.

"You've done your homework I see." Natasha says as she gets over her surprise and continues to follow.

"Only fools walk into the unknown unprepared." He said to her as he dropped the bodies into a ditch; he then turned around to fetch the other one while she dropped the hand in, and then followed a new.

"Why are you here?" She asked not really expecting an honest answer.

"The same reason as you, HYDRA and AIM."

"How did you find out about them being here?"

"Sorry trade secret that is all you get." She replied much to her frustration.

"Have you found out why they are here? Or is that something else you can't say?"

"They have found a buried alien warship, Shi'ar make, under the ruins; you don't have to imagine what they will do with it."

She let out a curse in Russian.

"We have to stop them, if they reverse anything from it they could succeed in overthrowing the world's governments."

"I agree, that is why there is a plan set in motion, but first please tell your companion to come out of the shadows." He said to her.

Said companion, slowly dropped down from the trees, revealing himself to be the Black Panther.

"_Tread carefully with this one Chief; he is high priority in the world community._"

"I mean you no harm, your highness." John said to the Wakandan.

"You know me?" he asked.

"I have detailed information on all the organizations that are active, knowledge is power after all, I assume you heard what I have told your friend here?"

"Yes, and I agree with her assessment, they must not be allowed to gain access to the knowledge hidden within that vessel." He spoke as they had arrived at the other body; he and Widow grabbed the discarded guns, while the Spartan hefted it easily.

"What is your plan exactly?" the Widow asked, checking the condition of the weapon.

"**No use letting it go to waste, I may need it later.**"

"I shall first set explosives in the cave, with luck the resulting cave in will destroy the ship, if not it will be buried under tons of Earth, meanwhile a companion of mine shall set of a diversion, you will need it as both groups have sent additional reinforcements and four agents to help with security, Titanium Man, Crimson Dynamo, the Grim Reaper and Viper." He said to the pair.

"Viper? Are you sure?" the red head asked in a very serious voice.

"Yes, my companion heard a transmission from Strucker saying he was sending those two specifically while the AIM leader had hired the other two." He replied as they arrived at the ditch once more, dumping his cargo in, he spotted a couple fallen tree trunks and decided to throw it in to help cover the bodies better.

"If we can capture we can gain access to valuable HYDRA Intel." The SHIELD agent spoke.

"Do whatever you like; my priority is making sure they do not leave here with that tech." he said to her in his even tone.

"Yes, we can figure out how to deal with the woman later, we must deal with the bigger issue, the ship." Black Panther said to his team mate who nodded that it was a priority.

"Then this is where we part ways, I must set the explosives, please inform the others, of it." He said to the duo before activating his cloak.

"Well that was interesting." Natasha remarked.

"Indeed, come we must return to the others, and tell them of our mysterious friend and his plan." The monarch spoke as he and the woman made their way towards the rendezvous point.

_Base camp, 10:00 PM…_

Activity around the camp was high as the arrival of reinforcements as well as the new leaders quickly began to make things interesting for all the parties involved.

"How goes the progress Reaper." A woman with green hair spoke, this being Viper, a surprisingly beautiful woman, whose cool façade hid a violent and dangerous nature.

"Well, the AIM scientists are already studying the salvaged data core, in the lab they set up, their having some trouble with the language but will soon translate and download its contents, and the others are searching the ship for salvageable weapons." The man in an ominous uniform spoke, what added to it was the scythe he had for a right hand.

"Good, and the hired help?" she asked.

"They're doing perimeter sweeps right now."

"Excellent, once we obtained the data, the world shall feel our fury, and not even those fools at SHIELD or those meddlesome heroes will stop us." She said with a cruel smile adorning her lips.

However unknown top them, there were two elements working to stop them, and they did not have any reservations when ending terrorists.

Commander Keyes using some C7 explosive and micro detonators rigged to the scramblers to blow, she had a few close calls though as the Titanium Man and Crimson Dynamo made their patrols.

From what she could see of them, the Titanium man was a little taller than the Chief, his silver armor shinning in the moonlight, he did not carry any visible weapons that of course did not mean he didn't have any, Crimson Dynamo wasn't as tall but it was definitely robust and bulky, she could see a cannon and a nozzle on the arms.

They each stopped occasionally to scan the surroundings, her BDU luckily shielded her body heat, and its dark colors blended right in with the scenery.

Once she had the diversion set up she made her way to the lab where the data core was being studied, the entrance had a key pad and retinal scanner, no cameras though, and this made it easier to use the last of the C7 to make her way inside, now she waited for the Chief's signal.

She wasn't the only one as the Avengers were in wait on the cliff the Spartan and his Commander had used, they had move the Warthog to the trail that led to the camp, another part of the plan as an exit strategy.

"Nat, are you sure we can trust this guy?" Hawkeye asked.

"For the last time Clint, yes!" the exasperated woman spoke, as she consider shooting the man in the leg just to silence him.

When she and Panther returned and informed them of their encounter as well as the information he provided they all had varied reactions.

Steve and Carol pondered about the Spartan, clearly he had military training to come up with such a plan, as well as dispatching her would be captures (and rapists if he had not intervened).

Ironman was both worried and curious, worried because both the Titanium Man and the Crimson Dynamo, were off grid at the time of their supposed demise, if AIM hired them they could have new tech he wasn't ready for, curious because he could finally see what the Spartan's armor was capable off in combat.

Hawkeye was uncomfortable, a man who can kill and not feel anything is not something he wants to get close too, and there was also the Reaper, he thought of his friend, Wonder Man, brother.

"**Why was he with HYDRA of all places? Why did they take him? The guy is nuttier than a bag of peanuts.**" He thought.

Jen was just getting ready to tear into the place, as she had no love for both organizations as they had both tried to capture her cousin to turn him into a living weapon or worse.

"Quiet both you, Clint whether or not we can trust this man is irrelevant, HYDRA and AIM are not, get your head in the game, we need you cool and calm, we can't afford to lose this one." The Sentinel of Liberty spoke to the archer.

"Fine, I just don't like dealing with unknowns." He replied.

"I know, me neither, but the situation calls for it, let's just hope for the best and prepare for the worst."

_With John…_

John had re-entered the cavern that held the ship, most of the people inside, probably gutting it for weapons and information.

He decided to start by setting C12 on the key stress points on the ship mainly the mid way point of the wings, and one on the entrance, the people of AIM had used.

With his stealth training and his cloak he easily reach the wings and set the charges, each with a 10 minute delay once Cortana sent the signal for the countdown to start, the entrance was a bit trickier since it had more activity, but still he managed, he then found the perfect spot in an open doorway which led to a monitor room, thankfully empty, he set the charge in a vent he pride open then placed it back once it was set.

Now came the cavern walls, this was another matter, as it had HYDRA guards, moving about, though they did not seemed to maintain radio contact.

"**Sloppy.**" He thought to himself.

"_Their loss is our gain John._" Cortana added to which he agreed and proceed to clear the refuge before bringing down the house on them.

He planned to have the charges set in a six point formation.

First he headed to the southeastern point; there he could see a HYDRA agent talking to his fellow agent, he crept slowly behind him, M6 out, and with rapid reflexes grabbed one from behind, making sure his mouth was covered, and shot the other one twice in the chest and once in the head, he then turned the gun on his struggling captive, and shot him twice in the chest, and broke his neck for good measure, he dragged the bodies to a nearby cave and set the charge.

He then headed to the northeastern point, no guard but a cave, he went in and began to set the charge, however a man went in hoping to relieve himself, John took out his knife, holding it in a reverse grip, and as before grabbed him from behind and stabbed him hard in the lungs and slitting his throat as well, he finished his work and moved on.

The north end didn't have a cave close this time, meaning he would have to leave it out in the open, he searched for a solution to this problem and found it the form of a pair HYDRA agent's smoking there leaning on the wall, perfect in his mind, he ran at them at full speed and leapt at them, both feet hit their mark as their diaphragms were crushed under the weight of the Spartan.

He placed the bodies in such a way that it appeared they were relaxing, on the ground propped up on the wall, the charge set between them.

The northwest area was both clean of bogeys and had a ditch there, so he saved some time there.

The southwest area had plenty of caves, as well as four guards, one could easily spot the device if they decided to check them, he took out both M6 and let loose a hail of bullets into them, it wasn't pretty but it got the job done, he hid them and placed the explosive.

Finally the south area was clear of agents so he set the charge and went down towards the entrance, it was time to start the operation, he took both the BR55, setting it for a three round burst, and his MA in both of his arms, normally this would not be prudent but he would need their firepower for what is to come.

"_Ready John?_" his partner asked.

"**Always.**"

"_Then let's show them why the Covenant learned to fear you._" She said as she sent the Commander the signal, while he activated his thrusters.

_Base camp…_

Commander was patiently waiting, when she received the signal on the private comm.

She took the detonator in one hand and her M7 in the other, getting ready to rush the lab.

"Showtime." She said as she pushed the button.

"BOOM!"

All the scramblers suddenly exploded as one, the ones close to them were either killed or wounded by shrapnel, and the lab door was blown off its hinges.

Not waiting for whoever was inside to regroup she went in and began to fire, screams of pain could be heard inside, she counted to three before diving in and took cover behind a crate that survived the blast.

She looked over only to duck back down as bullets flied over head, she placed the M7 parallel to the crate and fired a spray, she then headed forward and hid behind and overturned table, she changed magazines and looked around, there in the center was the core form the alien ship, next to it was a computer server being used to house the data, she targeted it and fire blowing it to pieces, this of course did not sit well with the lab personnel.

"Someone kill him now!" she heard someone yell.

She grabbed a pair of frag grenades from her rucksack, and pulled the pins.

"That's "her" shit stain!" she yelled as she hurled the grenades.

"Oh fu…" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"

"ARRRG!"

She took out her shotgun, and slowly made her way towards the site of the blast, she saw at least four men there, three scientists and one HYDRA agent, all bleeding and very much dead.

"BANG!"

She was slightly pushed forward as a bullet hit her armored back, so she rolled left, turned and fired.

"Guh!"

The shredders leaving a mutilated corpse of another HYDRA soldier.

She scanned the area for any survivors, and found none, with that she grabbed a blackened brief case and took the core, thinking it may prove useful to them, she then took out some C4 to make sure nothing survived to be salvaged.

She left just as the sounds of gunfire, laser blasts and explosions reached her.

"**Looks like the Chief is getting acquainted with HYDRA and AIM.**" She thought

She then went to the Warthog, thinking he could handle it; he did have experienced back up after all, once she reached the vehicle and placed the briefcase a compartment she turned it on and gunned the engine towards him, while she did that she remotely detonated the C4, put yet another nail in the coffin.

_The ruins of the Base Camp…_

Viper was in the command tent when the scramblers blew, knocking her over the table, she scrambled back up, and rushed out to the sounds of screams and panic, the sight flames all around, the Reaper giving out orders to put out the fires and salvage anything they could.

"Reaper! What the hell is going on!" She yelled as she made her way towards him.

"How the fuck should I know! One minute everything is calm the next this shit happens." He replied in anger.

"Where are those two armored idiots! They were supposed to watch out for intruders." She demanded.

"We are here Viper." The deep Russian voice of the Titanium man spoke as he landed next to her, followed by Dynamo.

"I thought you said it was all clear, does this look like it was clear!" she yelled at the armored men.

Before he could answer though, the sounds of jet engines could be heard in the tunnel where the ship was located, and then they saw something shoot out of it.

It flipped before landing at the entrance of the pyramid; it was large armored being with two large rifles, rifles that were pointed at them.

"HIT THE DECK!" the Reaper yelled, just as the Spartan fired, making both unprotected villains hide behind the armored ones, bullets pinging off them, leaving some dents.

Some surviving agent's fire on the Spartan, only to be shocked as a golden glow, surrounded him, stopping the bullets.

John turned his MA5C at them, and pulled the trigger, the NATO rounds making mince meat out of them.

"Kill him! I don't care who just KILL HIM!" Viper yelled over the gunfire, prompting The Titanium man and Dynamo to make him a move, the red clad man raising his right arm, and Titanium forearms opened up to release to blasters, they never got to fire though as Titanium was tackled by a red and gold blur, and Dynamo arm was hit by a circular object.

That's when they all heard a very familiar battle cry…

"AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!"

"No!" Viper ground out through her teeth.

From the tree line burst out Captain America whose shield returned to him, Black Panther who rushed into battle, Widow firing the rifle at anyone wearing yellow or green, She-Hulk grabbing some heavy machinery and throwing it at the terrorists, Warbird firing energy blasts at the red armored mercenary, Hawkeye firing arrows of different types, Ironman was wrestling against the larger man in mid air.

"_Got give them credit, they know how to make an entrance._" Cortana spoke, to which John only nodded, before opening fire on the terrorists.

"Ironman!" The Titanium man growled out as he tried to get a clear shot the Avenger.

"So which one are you?" he asked as he fired his repulsors to match the force beams.

"It matters not, all that those, is I shall kill you, then I shall deal with that other one." The mercenary spoke as he fired another volley.

"Are you mad because you can't find Moose and Squirrel?" The man asked.

"So you're the Spartan that helped Widow?" Captain America asked the man as he fought with the terrorists, he delivered a right cross to one and turned to launch his shield at another at his back, will delivering a right high kick to one preparing to attack the Spartan from behind as he reloaded to BR, and finally grabbed the shield, to block some bullets headed his way.

"Yes I am, get down." He said as the man did, he then fired at five AIM agents with laser weaponry.

"I would prefer you leave some alive for questioning, watch your 5 o' clock." Steve said as he threw the shield to rebound of three HYDRA agents, before returning.

"They do not seem intent to come quietly I'm afraid." He said as he pulled a grenade and threw at a group hiding behind some wreckage.

"BOOM!"

"**Cortana, arm the charges.**" He sent to the A.I.

"_Roger._"

"I see Fury sent his lap dog." Viper spoke as she fought the Russian woman, with a left straight.

"As did Strucker." Natasha said as she blocked it and counter with a left kick to the midsection.

Viper grabs it and twists it; Natasha however uses it to kick the woman in the head with her other foot.

Meanwhile Reaper is sending energy arcs from his scythe at the Black Panther, getting more frustrated.

"Stand still!"

T'Challa does not, and closes in, Reaper fires another arch, and Panther rushes the man and hits him in the jaw with a flip kick.

"You'll pay for that!"

And the battle continued.

She-hulk and Warbird had their hands full with the Crimson Dynamo, the man inside the armor may not have talked much, but he did known how to fight, as he used his laser on She-Hulk and flamethrower on Warbird.

"I am seriously starting to hate that guy." Jen said as she dodged another laser.

"Tell me about." The blond replied.

Dynamo paused his attack so some compartments on his shoulders opened, inside were miniature missiles, 12 in total, and all headed for them.

"Oh come on!" She-Hulk/Warbird.

Both went in opposite directions.

"BOOM!"

"Okay, that is it!" Jen said as she go off the ground, she turned to look for Carol and found her dodging flames.

"**I need something to…there!**" she said as she spotted a turned over Hummer.

She ran to it and lifted it over her head.

"Hey tin man! Catch this!" She yelled as she threw the vehicle.

The armored turned to the source, and was met with flying vehicle, he manages to catch it but because it blocks his view he doesn´t see an arrow with an explosive tip hit the gas tank.

"How do you like that?"Clint remarks as he readies another arrow while looking at the wreckage as it shifts.

Dynamo gets out only to get hit in the face by a fist from Warbird, who then uses her super strength to close the flame throwers nozzle.

"Now let´s see you flash fry me, asshole!"

The fights raged on as the countdown continued, however all attention was taken away from each other to sound of a very powerful engine coming their way.

Soon from the path that led to the ruins, which incidentally look even more demolished than ever, came a military green vehicle, it was nothing they had ever seen before, and the only anyone recognized was the large minigun on the back.

"Spartan! What´s the count!" Commander Keyes yelled.

"…"

"5 minutes!" he replied.

"Shit, all right everyone who doesn´t want to die in a violent explosion haul ass!" She yelled as she got out and took out her BR and began firing at the terrorists.

"Avengers, Fall back!" the Captain ordered.

"No offense Rogers, but we won´t make it in time." Clint said as another arrow flew.

"I have a solution to that." John said.

"**Cortana call it in.**"

"_You don´t have to tell me twice._" She answered back.

All the heroes and UNSC soldiers had fallen back to some toppled stones in front of the cliff; they were being pinned down by heavy fire from the armored men, and terrorists.

"Viper! We have go! This place is bust!" the Reaper yelled over the gun and laser fire.

"No! We can get rid of them now, they have cost us our prize, and I shall not be denied this!" she yelled.

"Cap we are pinned down, how we are going to get out of this one is beyond me." Ironman said as he, Warbird, Black Widow, the Spartan, the Commander and Hawkeye returned fire.

Luckily for them fate had favor them this day.

"_John our ride is here shall give our hosts a gander?_" She asked in a cheery voice.

"**By all means.**"

Soon engines several of the Avengers were familiar with were heard.

"What the!" Hawkeye yelled as the Pelican dropped its cloak.

"What is that!" Reaper yelled at the sight of the dropship.

"Your worst nightmare assholes! Fire!" Keyes yelled and soon the chin mounted chaingun began to do just that.

The Titanium man dodged to side allowing the ones behind him to become hamburger, the Crimson Dynamo tried to fire its remaining arm weapon, when bullets crash into making hang limply.

"Aw fuck this shit I'm out of here!" the Grim Reaper yells.

"You coward! Grr, you will pay for this, mark my words you will ALL pay, Titanium Man, Dynamo get us out of here!" the irate woman yells.

"Come on we have to get on board quick!" Keyes said as the vehicle lowered itself to hover over the ground.

"_Chief, we have to get that Warthog out of here, it contains data that could prove useful, can we hook it up in time?_" Keyes said through the private com.

"_Negative Commander, we have less than a minute and a half._" Cortana replied.

"_Only if we hook up, get them out of here Commander, I will deal with the Hog._" He sent back, before he ran to the transport.

"Where the hell is he going!" Clint yells as the others watch as the Spartan climbs in and turns it over.

"Not your business, now hold on, I'm getting us out of here, and touch nothing." Keyes spoke at the Iron avenger and the Black Widow as she headed for the cockpit.

John had already cleared the entrance to the ruins while the countdown reached the 30 second marks.

"_What is it with us and harrowing death defying escapes?_" Cortana asks.

"**We are just that lucky.**"

"_Ha! With you I will believe that, now floor it._"

"_10 seconds…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Mark!_"

No one close would hear the sounds of the powerful explosives beneath the Earth, but they would feel it as it started to shake and rumble, then heard as rock cracked and began to sink, taking the ancient ruins down.

Soon all that was left of the place was unsettled Earth and nothing more.

_In the clearing where the Quinjet was…_

The Avengers and Commander Keyes waited for any sign of the Spartan.

"Guy has got to be dead, right? I mean the whole place was leveled." Barton said.

"Clint." Steve spoke with some silent warning for him to be quiet; he then turned his sights to the woman in body armor.

Keyes knew he was alive because of one undeniable fact, out off all the Spartans to ever have been brought to existence, he truly did not know how to die.

The others did not bother her, or at least the majority as Ironman and Black Widow tried to get some answers, she said that they weren't ready to give them yet, she also warned the armored avenger not to scan her ship unless he wants to share armor specs without his permission, and she told Widow she had no authority to demand any information from her and to tell Fury the same, they left her alone after that.

"I'm sure he made it miss." The Captain said to her.

"I know he did, that man has survived worse, trust me he doesn't know how to get killed." She spoke and as if to confirm this they heard the sound of a vehicle coming their way.

Soon they saw Warthog pull up with the Spartan in tow, he parked it under the Pelican, got out and saluted the Commander.

"Mission accomplished." He said to her in his usual even tone.

"At ease Spartan." She spoke after returning the salute.

"Orders?" he asked as he dropped the salute.

"Hook it up and let's go back to base." She ordered him.

"Hey wait a minute! What about giving us some answers?" Hawkeye asks.

"As I told your companions you shall receive them when WE are ready to give them." Keyes spoke as the commanding officer should.

"And when the hell is that going to be lady?" he asks letting his temper get the best of him.

"When I so choose to do so, not you, now deal with it." She said to the archer, before turning around and walking towards the Spartan.

"Why that… Are we just going to let them go?" he asks the rests of his team mates.

"Yes we are, and that's final." Steve with the full weight of his military discipline coming to the forefront.

"But…"

"No Hawkeye, they have done nothing to warrant persecution, they prevented Widow being captured, they aided in the destruction of potentially dangerous technology from falling into the wrong hands, and got us out of there without asking for anything in return, we SHALL respect their wishes, when they are ready to talk we shall do so not before, are we clear?" he asks the man.

"But they could…"

"Are. We. Clear?" He repeated as he bore into him.

"Fine! But if they turn out to be super villains in disguise don't come crying to me, bunch of…" he walked off muttering along the way.

"_The man is good I'll him that._" Cortana said to them, and silently agreed.

Soon enough the Warthog was secured, and both teams prepped for launch, both the Captain and the Spartan were the last to board the respective craft.

Steve was about to climb in when…

"Captain!" he heard the Spartan yell making him turn around.

He found the Spartan saluting him, he paused before returning it.

Then both got on board their ships and took off.

It should be noted however that Hawkeye, Ironman and Black Widow monitored the tracking signal, much to the chagrin of Captain Rogers.

However when they saw the signal gaining altitude that was bordering on the edge of the stratosphere it cut off, due in part to the temperatures destroying it.

_In the vehicle bay of the Dawn…_

"Well guys I think it's safe to say we made a lasting impression." Keyes spoke as she removed the helmet.

"_I agree, hopefully it was a good one._"

"HYDRA and AIM will assuredly have us on their black lists."

"No matter, if they come at us we will be ready for them; in the meantime, Redeeming and Cortana can have some fun with that alien data core that should at least brighten his day."

"_I thank you for that Commander; it will be good to learn of a new species._" The monitor spoke to them as it arrived.

"_I'll have to pass, I have to finish up that surprise I was talking about, trust me it will blow you away._" She said to them.

"I look forward to it, what about you Chief?" Keyes asks.

"I'll clean up the MJOLNIR, get some training done and head back to Bayville, tomorrow I shall see about continuing my touring of the city." He replied.

"All right I'm going to take a nice hot shower, and get some sleep, fighting terrorist's takes a lot out of you, later guys."

"_Bye._" "_Rest well._" "Understood Commander."

And with that their day came to close, with many more waiting on the horizon.

To be continued…

A/N: Well here is yet another installment, to this new piece of fiction.

Now some may comment how the Black Widow would never have allowed herself to be ambushed, my reply to that is that usually a henchmen stumbles upon something or someone thinking this is the break their looking for, then they're horribly killed, case in point the Chief slaughtered them.

On that point as you can see the no kill rule can be circumvented in regards to certain situations, now will I do the same to a super villain? You bet I am, and I think I have someone in mind, it's not Doom, let's face it without him the F4 don't have any really big bad villains to give them a real fight, I'm leaning towards one of Spider-man's, possibly Osborn, Carnage or perhaps Kingpin.

The scene on the Quinjet was there because I had read enough comics to see they had to talk about something, and I just put Panther's reaction for a laugh.

I am not doing to Hawkeye what I did to John Stewart, in all the comics I have read, he always seems to come off as both standoffish and hot headed, yet humorous and loyal, I hope I emulated that well.

Hope the fights were to everyone likes, next on the updates, Halo/DC.

Next chapter I will have him spend some time with the X-men, not just Storm though, and leave the stage ready for the fight of the century, Spartan VS Hulk, place your bets, because the gloves are coming off for this one, Later, and to all the lovely ladies out there, Happy Valentine's Day and to all the fellas pray to god she doesn't ask for a ring.


	5. Chapter 5

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

**Warning: This chapter contains content not suitable for younger reader, and touches upon subjects such as rape and beatings on women, you have been warned.**

Chapter 4:

Things were pretty calm for the UNSC group after the incident in the Amazon, or at least as normal as can be being near a city that had superheroes and villains fighting for the fate of it and in some cases the world.

Miranda and Cortana enjoyed the peace, after so much time spent in battle they had appreciated the calm they had, John had some difficulty dealing with it, even though his outings helped him some, but mostly because it was in war that he found his purpose, however he had set this goal for himself, and if anyone knew one thing about Spartans it was they never failed in their goals.

The Commander and Cortana both believed he could achieve this, and helped him as best they could; in fact it was a suggestion of Cortana that had him currently sitting behind a desk in a small office space they bought in the downtown Manhattan area.

_Flashback…_

"You want me to what?" He asked in a tone slightly higher than normal, high enough to show he was surprised.

"You heard me; open up a detective and security agency." Cortana spoke in all seriousness from the holopad they had in the kitchen area.

"Where did this come from?" He asks.

"Well if you think about it, you'd be perfect for the job, you have great tracking skills, when you are sent to find someone you always do, doesn't matter who or where they are, you are faster, smarter and stronger than regular humans, meaning you have an edge over others in the business, and you have me and a whole plethora if UNSC tech to back you up." Cortana said in a wise tone.

"Are you sure you aren't rampant?" He asks much to her irritation and the Commander´s amusement.

"Smartass, no I am serious, this could work; besides we need to do something, people around here are starting to question what you do for a living, and this could lead to rumors and wild theories we do not need." She replied.

"What is your take on this Commander?" John turns to his superior officer.

"I like it and she is right, people are starting to ask questions about us, and I am running out of answers." Keyes replies.

"John, just give it a try, if you don't like it we can always try something else." His partner spoke.

"Sigh, fine, but if you have me chasing down stray pets all day then we call it off." He answered.

_Flashback ends…_

Cortana went to work and found him a decent office space in one of the many buildings that covered the Manhattan section of New York, furniture was placed next, with him helping the movers go in and out, though they wondered why they were even there as he effortlessly moved about.

The next step was filling out the appropriate documents and exams for him to become a PI, a piece of cake for him, then came weapon licenses, easier to do as Cortana had him join the NRA , something she found funny as he had better guns then they had.

Next came the publicity, with a little techno wizardry on her part and a lot of acting on the Commanders part, much to her embarrassment, Halsey Investigations was up and running.

It started out slow, and much to his chagrin he had to deal with animal cases at first, of course he found them, it was just he did not follow what many would consider standard procedure, which was get a replacement, no he found them dead or alive, and returned or reported them as such to his clients, despite his blunt approach they thanked them for telling them the truth and not just take the money or get a knockoff.

Then came following cheating spouses, these were difficult because human beings have different reactions to betrayal by a love one, from bitterness to murderous rage, hence Cortana screened them thoroughly, he was not about to become an accessory to murder, in some cases he watched the client himself for signs of violence, no one had attempted to cross that line yet, but he was not about to drop it for no reason.

The big break came when he had received a call for help by mother and father searching for their missing 14 year old daughter Samantha Wallace.

They were the typical middle wage family, who stayed out of trouble; she was attending after school classes at her high school, normally her mother picked her up from school at that time but that day she did not show.

They naturally called the police and filled a report, after the allotted time, they began an extensive search for her, but after three weeks the case was bumped back for other cases, much the parent's frustrations, they then tried the PI's in the city but could not afford them, finally having heard of his recently established business they came to him and explained everything, they practically begged for his help, he took the case pro bono, promising he would find her, dead or alive, he would.

He started off by visiting the home and going threw her personal effects, namely diaries, he had Cortana go through the girl's computer files for irregularities, he also took hair follicles for DNA samples.

In her diaries came upon an entry that spoke of a man who often visited the school and talk to the girls, in it she wrote that she did not feel safe around him.

John acted upon that lead, and staked out the school discreetly, on the third day of his case he saw a man talking to a small group of girls, he was 5'9", messy brown hair, tanned complexion, scar over his right eyebrow.

John relayed the information to Cortana, who used her abilities to hack into the police databases and found out him to be one Oscar Robins, a man who had been picked up for child molestation and prostitution charges.

John tailed him easily, years of infiltration missions giving him an uncanny edge, especially against such an easy prey.

He soon found the man had associates, he followed them to an abandoned building, that night he went to the adjacent building and soon found he had found his targets, as that night a disguised mail truck came and unloaded 10 girls, all from ages 12 to 16.

Now to infiltrate the building and rescue those from their clutches, Samantha may not be there but he would not allow this act to continue, he would first incapacitate or eliminate the kidnappers, and then have Cortana call in the authorities.

He moved about the shadows, silently closing in on his quarry, he reached the main entrance where to sentries stood, smoking and talking shop, upon closer inspection he saw them carrying Glocks, meaning they had sufficient funds for small arms.

He wasn't unarmed though, he carried two special black 1911 colts, what made them special, they were tailor made in the Dawn from alloys that prevented them from typical wear and tear normal handguns suffered from, with bored chambers, customized triggers and compensators, they were loaded with custom .45 AP rounds, the serial numbers were forged but only he and Cortana new that, and she could make sure no one found that out.

He also carried strapped to his back a 12 in combat knife typically used by ODST's, the "Helljumper Toothpick" as it was known, a solid Titanium monofilament blade, laser sharpened to perfection.

He picked up a rock and chucked it past the sentries who turned to investigate, they pulled their guns out and both show their backs to him, and like before in the Amazon ruins, he runs at high speed and double kicks them in the middle of their backs only this time they are in extreme pain not dead, they are soon knocked unconscious by two hard fist to the their faces.

John looks around to make sure his cover is still safe; he then drags them out of sight, and enters the building, the first floor showing it is a warehouse old abandoned boxes are everywhere.

He had Cortana have one of their satellites do a sweep, infrared showed activity on the first three levels above his own, the nature of said activity varied from those banging on doors, crying in a corner, or the two that really managed to get a rise from him, raping and beatings.

They would soon learn what it meant to anger a Spartan II.

First level had no guards and 10 people who he had classified as hostages.

Making sure there were no surprises, he tried to enter the room of one the hostages, finding it locked he uses his strength to break off the knob, inside he finds a scared 15 year old blonde haired girl, crying for her parents.

She sees him and begins to whimper thinking him a member of the group, he disproves this by showing her his PI badge, she lunges at him in joy at being rescued, sadly he cannot offer her any comfort right now, so he tells her to lead the others out of the building and outside, the police would arrive soon.

He breaks the knobs in the same way, much to her awe, after all them are freed he heads up, here there are three hostiles and 8 hostages, the hostiles are in the rooms by what he hears from the screams, he decides to take care of them first, he pulls out his knife.

The first room he enters has a tanned man raping a poor girl, she is tied to the bed and by the muffled screams, gagged, his back to him as he thrusts himself into the victim, his gun is on the nightstand, he walks forward but a loose floor board gives him away, before the man can turn he moves and grabs him in a sleeper hold, he tries to yell but the powerful grip prevents him from doing so until finally unconsciousness overcomes him.

The girl 16 by the looks of her is terrified, he covers her with her clothing as the man's would probably upset her, this actually stops her fears as he cuts her loose, he tells her she is looking for Sam, this one knows her, tells him she is on the fourth floor, John instructs her to get dressed and go to the other girls outside.

The second room has a Hispanic man who has finished his terrible act, the girl is crying on the bed, the Spartan does not hesitate, he rushes him and punches his jaw hard enough to break it, the girl is too traumatized to move, so he covers her and drags the criminal into the room of the first one.

The final room is the loudest, he grips his knife hard, what he finds in there is a man pistol whipping a girl who has her arms bloody form covering her to protect herself, she looks to him, the man sees this and turns, all he sees is the knife that imbeds itself into his skull.

John quickly takes the gun away, and comforts the girl as she thanks him, he rips up the sheets that are thankfully clean and bandages her arms, he checks the hallway, no one is there, he gives the girl the same instructions as the first girl he rescued.

He breaks them free but the traumatized one won't leave out of fear, it may waste time but he will not abandon her there, so he picks her up gently bridal style, making sure she is fully covered, one of the girls holds her hand, and once outside he leaves her with the growing group.

He rushes back, Cortana informing him he know has ten minutes, he picks up the knife cleaning it with a rag, ignoring the body.

Third floor has two hostiles, one in a room the other in the hallway pacing back and forth, there are 6 hostages.

First order of business take care of the guard, he sees a wooden chair in the entry to the hallway and picks it up and waits for him to get close, 2 minutes later he smashes it hard into the back of the guard, the noise alerts the other that something is wrong, John quickly but quietly waits by the right side as the doors opened inwards, the man this time a black man in his boxers opens it and quickly steps out, John grabs him by the back of the neck with left hand and swings hard into the wall head first, he drops down leaving a bloody mess, he is breathing but his head is split open.

John sees a red head teen, only in her panties, he calms her, tells her to get dressed and wait for him to free the others, she agrees and soon she and the other girls escape.

On the final floor there are two hostiles and four hostages, the hostiles are in side by side rooms, he goes for the closest, there he sees a man threatening a girl with a knife, she has some cuts on her arms as is begging him to stop, John does not hesitate with this one he moves behind him and snaps his neck, he covers her mouth and shows her his badge, he motions for her to be quiet, she nods, he peers into the hallway and notices no sign that he has been found out.

He moves towards the room, it is locked this time, he hears Oscar bad mouthing the girl inside, slaps and whimpers; he sheathes the knife, and pulls out his guns, he steps back and kicks the door in, Oscar has his gun in hand and manages to fire one shot that grazes his left shoulder, he however fires four times, two to the left lung, one in the stomach and one in the throat, Oscar is dead before he hits the ground.

Sirens can soon be heard outside, he confirms that this is indeed Sam, she is alive but in rough shape, he picks her up, kicks down the other doors with captives and leads them out to a throng of police and medics, and coincidently media people.

The police see him and order him to release the girl; however the others he saved step in front of him and say he had saved them, he gives Sam to the medics, and shows his credentials, he tells them about the ones upstairs and the bodies.

What happened next was a media circus, much to his chagrin, he was acclaimed a hero in the eyes of the public, the girls and their parent's thank him profusely for his efforts, and the mayor awards him for his deeds, the police give him a citation after they confirm his story and checking his falsified military record, none the wiser.

From then on his agency really garnered attention; he was now receiving many calls about missing persons, stolen cars and personal artifacts.

Miranda soon decided to join up and proved equally effective on the job.

It wasn't just detective work; they also did bodyguard jobs for important people, those who had passed Cortana's screen test of course, local politicians, celebrities and on occasion foreign dignitaries, they were particularly fond of his professional attitude and dedication to the job at hand, he had faced his fair share of people who tried to press their luck the capture of his clients, but they were painfully taught not try again.

This job had earned him many powerful connections with many elite clients as well as certain members of the police; this was good in the aspect that he could now have more resources, of course the downside was the fact he had earned just as many enemies, from crime syndicates, corrupt officials who sought to shut him down, or peoples who held a grudge.

However that's where his true nature came to play, as John Mendez he could not anticipate these threats, but as Spartan-117? They stood no chance, Cortana and Redeeming constantly monitored the phone and internet lines for any mention of his or Miranda's name with any keywords she had placed to indicate hostile intent.

Those that she did find, were tracked via satellite, when they were ready to strike, the Spartan would appear to face them, and sadly for them he did not pull his punches, but in order to eliminate the connection between his civilian identity and his armored persona he had to expand his activities so as not to give the impression that John Mendez was the Spartan.

This meant he had to act the part of the hero, gaining more attention, especially given his stance on how to handle criminals, from carjackers to terrorists he did not limit himself when it came to them, depending on their actions it would measure his response, minor criminals received a beating that made them swear to god never to commit a crime, major criminals, those being drug manufacturers, gun smugglers and organized crime were decimated.

He made no apologies in the use of lethal force as a last resort; he had yet to kill any of them, but the message was clear, do not push your luck with this man or you will regret it, as for the heroes and public's reaction to him?

Well the people actually liked him, the reason being he made sure they were safe after a confrontation that spilled over to the streets, he would stay behind and treat wounds or make sure they were stabilized until help arrived, the police could have tried to capture him but the problem came from the fact that many did not want to, he had saved many of their lives, and through the use of a data recordings burned onto disks they could use, he provided evidence used to prosecute the men he faced.

The heroes reactions were mixed, the street types applauded his efforts but were not keen to his stance on lethal force, the major groups were curious as to where he obtained such powerful equipment, many went so far to ask why he went after the small fry just as much as the big names, he was a mystery that many wanted an answer too.

Right now John sat in his office going over some of the more recent cases he had taken, mostly surveillance jobs and bodyguard detail, he was having Cortana make background checks, it was a slow day, something he was thankful for because it meant all was right for the moment, there were also no need for him to done the armor anytime soon, something Cortana was thankful for as it was quite a feat to have a Spartan out the armor for this long without them returning to it.

The office door opened and in stepped in the Commander dressed in black jeans, red shirt, black jacket, it was unzipped and revealed a shoulder holster were she kept a modified Berretta.

"Hey John, anything new come up?" She asks as she takes a bottle of water out of the mini fridge they had.

"I am having Cortana run a check right now, Ms. Keyes." He replied.

"**He is never going to call me by name, is he?**" She thought.

"I am finished with that Chief." Cortana spoke as she appeared on the computer monitor he had on his desk, though in reality it was a disguised holopad to maintain communications with the Dawn.

"What are the findings?" He asked.

"Well, turns out the surveillance jobs are real, only one is from a man with a history of domestic violence, I have placed him on watch, and the other is from a mother of two who suspects her boyfriend is cheating on her, the guard jobs are bust, rival companies who want to teach you a lesson, humph, as if they could." She replied in dismissal of the last part.

"I'll take the mom case, I need it after the last missing persons job," Miranda said as she recalled how the last missing person they look into resulted in solving the murder of a 8 year old boy by a pedophile, they caught him and delivered him to justice with plenty of evidence to take him down, still they did not enjoy telling the child's parent's the news.

"All right, I'll stay here and go over…"

"Oh no you're not, you sir are going out to relax." Cortana said as a mother would a child.

"Cortana…" he started before she intervened again.

"John, you have been jumping from one case after the other, you need to stop and relax for a while, remember you are trying to adapt to civilian lifestyle, not become a workaholic." His partner spoke.

"She is right chief, you need a break once in a while, even the superheroes aren't in their tights every second of the day, go out and mingle a bit, don't make me order you to." She says with a smile at the last part.

"Sigh, all right, but keep me posted if you require my assistance." He replies in a defeated tone as he grabs his car keys.

"Oh don't be a baby John, now go and mingle, maybe even visit those lovely ladies you met at the pizza place." Cortana says in sweet tone.

"I rue the day you found out about that." He says in a tone that doesn't really say he is angry.

"Yet you are still my friend." She replies.

"And what does that say about my state of mind, I'll see you both later." He says as he leaves.

"Well he is getting better at expressing himself." Miranda takes note.

"True, soon he'll be able to smile without cracking." Cortana says making her and Miranda laugh.

John went to the garage; his ensemble was some black pants and combat boots, blue shirt and black riding jacket, he chose a modified Mongoose colored black, instead of the Hog today, taking the helmet out of the compartment.

What made this ride unique was it counted with cloaking device, GPS and holographic display interface, as well as modified ceramic alloy making it more durable than the standard UNSC variant.

He placed his thumb on the scanner to activate it, the keys serving the same purpose as the Hog's, it turned over with a powerful growl of the engine, and soon he was out in New York traffic cruising around, he made a note to get out of the city to really put it through its paces, as unlike other four wheel bikes, this one could really tear it up when he went full throttle, the only thing that could match it was the Brutes hover cycles, which they had on board, they were just waiting for an opportunity to test them as they had been modified.

_Meanwhile at Avengers Mansion…_

The home of earth's mightiest heroes was quite calm despite its unique residents, many were relaxing in their private rooms, others were in the game room chatting, the more serious ones were training in the underground facilities.

In the lounge we find four watching TV for the latest happenings in the world.

These four, all women, were the avengers known as Tigra, Wasp, Warbird and She-Hulk, and all were currently looking at the exploits of John in his civilian disguise.

"…_we have indeed confirmed that the murderer of 8 year old, Joaquin Melchiades has been found guilty, the evidence provided was irrefutable and insured and open and shut case, once more this station would like to extend thanks to Halsey investigations for once more, making the city safe and giving the family of the victim closure._

_This small firm formed only by two detectives have proven themselves quite the crime stoppers, with a high level success rate, they have solved many of the missing persons cases that local officials have had trouble for months, their bodyguard services have garner them as premier security detail._

_I know I feel better knowing that this brother-sister duo is out there providing a valuable service to the community. For CNN News, this is Trish Tilby, signing off._"

"CLICK!"

"Thank god they put that monster behind bars." Tigra speaks as she lowers the remote.

"Yeah, shame they couldn't get to the kid in time though, still they caught the bastard so he won't be causing any problems for anyone." Pamela replies to her teammate.

"So Jen, you and Carol met this guy before he started up, why haven't you made a move? According to Natasha you two were quite interested in him." Janet asks as she leans into her chair.

"Huh? Oh well I haven't had the time to do it, I mean we have been busy with a lot of stuff lately, right Carol?" the tall jade Amazon says to her blonde friend.

"Right, by the way Jen I need some help moving some stuff in my room, you mind?" she asks in a casual tone.

"Uh, don't you have super strength?" the woman replies.

"Yeah but it will get done quicker with some help, come on I'll buy you lunch afterwards." The former air force pilot adds.

"Deal! You want to do this now or later?"

"Now if you can."

"Sure, I'm free, later ladies." She says as she moves from her seat, while Carol follows and waves.

"Is it me or have does two been acting rather chummy with each other?" Janet asks as she takes a drink of her bottled water.

"Maybe their sleeping together?" Tigra asks.

"Splurt, cough, what!" Janet asks in shock after controlling her cough.

"It is a perfectly legitimate question." The tiger woman replies in all honesty.

"Yeah but I mean, if they are they aren't very good at hiding it." The Wasp replies.

"You don't have anything against it do you?"

"Pam, I work in fashion, no matter how much they want to hide it, half the people in the industry are batting for the home team."

"Oh, ok." She replies as she turns on the TV once more.

Unfortunately the conclusion they reached couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Jen we have to tell them." Carol said to her friend who was seated on her bed while she leaned on the wall.

"What? That we know who the Spartan is? Carol he isn't hurting anyone." Jen replies and get a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, so he isn't hurting anyone who doesn't deserve it." She reiterates.

"Jen, he shot five men…"

"Five armed men with Uzis." She adds.

"…and landed them in the hospital, one was crippled by a shot to the spine, one lost half a lung, the other three were fine except for several broken bones that will leave them limping for the rest of their lives." The blonde finished.

"Yeah the problem is we don't know why, he only stays to help wounded, then leaves, I don't think John is a gun totting nut like Castle, Carol." The green skin woman retorts.

"I'm not saying he is, but he has got a lot of people interested in him both good and bad, I just don't want to see what happens when they catch up to him and try to make him give up his stuff." The Kree/human hybrid says.

"Is that the only reason Carol?" Jen asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Carol, are you afraid of what he'll do or what they may do to him? Because I do worry what they will, he is a good person, I know it, I don't know why but I do." Jennifer explains.

"I didn't know you felt that way." Carol says as she steps away from the wall and sits next to her.

"Yeah well, I like him, probably as much as you do since you haven't talked about it to anyone but me." She says earning a blush from the blonde.

"I do not!" she denies.

"Girl don't lie, heck I heard that half the female avengers are interested in getting to know the man, and they don't know who he is, I heard Wanda is thinking about going to his office with a fake job just to get to know him." She-Hulk tells her friend.

"No! Really!"

"Yeah caught me off guard too, the point is we aren't squealing on him because of that attraction." Jen replies in all honesty.

"Okay, maybe I am a bit attracted to him, but what should we do? We can't keep this a secret forever." Warbird asks.

"I think…I think we should talk to John, find out the truth about him, show him he can trust us." Was the reply.

"You know you're right, we should, and he deserves that at least."

"Good, will do it tomorrow, maybe we should invite him to lunch." Jen suggests.

"Jen this isn't a date." He r friend deadpans.

"I know it isn't, if it was I wouldn't bring the business suit with the mini skirt." She says before smirking.

"Oh god." Carol mutters.

_Back with Spartan…_

John was enjoying his ride when he caught site of something strange in an alley.

He stopped to investigate.

It was well illuminated and seemed empty, but his senses told him otherwise.

There in the garbage bin was movement, the lid was closed so whatever was in there was making a ruckus.

John carefully approached it, on hand on the lid and the other on his knife; in a swift movement he opened the bin.

"Ah!" A very young and feminine scream was heard, followed by scrambling and whimpering.

"Don't hurt me!" he heard and looks to see someone cowering behind the garbage can.

He walks slowly and calmly his hands where they can be seen, there he finds a child, 10 by his estimates, except she did not look like and average little girl, she had messy black hair with refuse in it, her clothes were rags and she had no shoes on, this allowed him to see she had black reptilian scales except on her palms and bottom of her feet her digits had claws and her forearms had fins like that of an iguana, she had red pupil less eyes and fangs poking out of her upper lip.

"**She is definitely a mutant, but what is she doing here?**"

"Easy I am not going to hurt." He says as he holds his hand out.

She does not respond at first but carefully takes his hand.

John picks the garbage out of her hair.

"What's your name?" he asks.

"K-Karen." The girl asked fearfully.

"My name is John." He says as he gives her a small smile and shakes her hand.

"What are you doing here Karen? Where are your parent's?" he asks, then regrets it as she bows her head in sadness.

"My daddy left my mommy before I was born, she took care of me, then one day I changed, I was scared but mommy said it was going to be all right, but one day bad people came, they said I was a monster, that she should make me go away, sob, mommy said no, sob, they hit her, she told me to run, so I did, w-when I came back the bad people were gone but my m-m-mommy was on the floor, she wouldn't wake up." She said as she cried, he kneeled and held her in his arms as she did.

"**Probably mutant haters, bastards killed her mother when she wouldn't back down.**" He thought.

"Karen, what is your last name?" he asks not really knowing why he does.

"Anderson, why?" She asks.

"No reason, just curious, how long have you been out here?"

"I can't remember, sniff." She replies.

"That's okay, Karen, would you like come with me? I know a place where they can look after you, where you'll be safe." He asks the little girl.

"B-but aren't you afraid of me? Don't I look scary?" she asks him.

"No Karen, you aren't scary, you are just different, and there is nothing wrong with that." He says to her as he stands up and holds her hand.

"Ok, but where are we going?" she asks as they walk to the Mongoose.

"Someplace where there are other different people, where they can make you feel you belong and won't be afraid of you." He replies as they reach the ULATV.

Thankfully the streets have little activity so no one sees her, he grabs a spare helmet and makes sure it secure on her.

"Okay Karen, I am going to put you on my lap, I want you to hold in tight okay, if you get tired you tell me, all right?" he asks the child who nods, he seats himself first then easily picks her up and seats in front of him, she does as he told her and holds him tight.

"**Hmm she is definitely stronger than your average 10 year old.**" He thinks as she settles herself, once she is secured he turns the engine on and departs.

_Somewhere in the Arizona desert…_

The sounds of battle can be heard throughout the desert plane as a being of great power battles against numerous foes.

"**LEAVE HULK ALONE!**" The green behemoth yells in fury, at 8 ft tall, a body of pure muscle bearing strength to shatter mountains with his fists, one would wonder who is foolish enough to face him in battle.

"Negative, the lord Victor Von Doom has ordered your capture, Doom's word is law, and you will comply." A large Robot of black metal and green eyes replies in cold logic, it and 9 more of them circle the green giant.

"**HULK WON'T GO!**" He replies before ripping a large boulder and hurtling it at the robots, they activate jet thrusters and all but two evade as they are crushed by the rock.

"Commence restraining sequence." One spoke as they all fired off cables at the Hulk, tying up his arms, legs and neck, then send thousands of volts of electricity into him.

"**RRRAAARGH!**" He screams in pain as the voltage courses through his body, this angers him further, empowering him further, he grabs two of the cables and tear them off, he grabs two others and makes two robots smash against one another, he tears off two more cables and rushes the last to who have him, he grabs one and rips his head off while the other has a fist run through it.

"**HULK SMASH!**"

"Containment procedure Alpha has failed, moving to beta." One of the six remaining machines spoke as 3 of them had their shoulders opened to reveal rockets.

The other three took to the air and pointed their arms at him, this opened at the top of the forearm to reveal spikes.

"Beginning firing sequence, team alpha begin." The three ground robots spoke as they all fired at the same time.

"BOOM!"

"**HULK NO LIKE BOOM!**" The hulk yells as he is bombarded.

"Initiate second sequence." The three robots in the air say as they launch the spikes.

"**ARRGH!**" The green behemoth screams as they manage to pierce his hide, the places struck begin to take a brown shade.

"Boron has been successfully inserted."

"**HULK NO FEEL GOOD.**" He says as the metal slowly begins to drain the gamma radiation.

Hulk brings his hands to his face as he starts to feel weaker by the minute, until he finally falls forward unconscious.

"Subject has been rendered inert, life signs stable, proceeding with capture." They spoke as they grabbed him by the arms and legs; soon a black vessel of unknown design reveals itself above them and opens the back door for pick up.

The robots fly up with their target and enter the vessel.

"Ah good you have managed to capture him." A voice spoke through the speakers; it carried an eastern European accent.

"Yes master." They responded.

"Have him strapped down and remove half of the rods."

"Yes master."

"Soon I shall find that which I seek." The voice spoke.

"Doom's will be done." The robots answer to that.

_Back with the Spartan…_

The trip to Westchester was a rather uneventful with a noticeable exception; Karen got tired half way to the Institute and asked to stop, so he did at a gas station, he asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom or wanted something to eat or drink.

She did feel hungry, so he went inside to buy her a snack, however the moment the gas attendant caught sight of her he demanded to get the "freak", as he so eloquently put it, out of his business.

John lived by a firm code of honor and ethics, instilled into him and the others Spartans by CPO Mendez; however the look fear, sadness and shame on the little girl wanted to make him break that code and rip the man's arms off.

He gently picked her up and resumed the journey, while giving the handle bars a tight grip, a clear sign of his anger, as the little girl cried.

A ringing sensation in his ears was felt, meaning Cortana wanted to talk.

"**Yes Cortana?**" he mentally asks.

"_Chief, sensors show you heading to Westchester, you looking to make an impression on an African weather manipulator?_" She asked amusedly.

"**Sending an info package, read it now.**" He replied in a very serious tone she knew it was no laughing matter.

"…_Got it Chief, reading now._"

There was a moment of silence until.

"_Prepping Longsword for priority bombing._" She said seriously, though one could hear the fury in her words.

"**Belay, I know how you feel; I was close to some extreme prejudice too.**" He replied.

"_How is she?_" Cortana asks in concern for Karen.

John smiles at her care for the child.

"**Better, find everything you can on what happened, inform the Commander, I want to know everything, make it a priority one.**" He sent to her.

"_You got it; you will have everything by the time you come back._" She replied before signing off.

They soon arrived at the gates of the Institute, and like before he pressed the button to the intercom.

"_Hello and welcome to Xavier´s Institute for Gifted Youngsters, how may we help you?_" the same woman's voice from before spoke.

"Hello My name is John Mendez Halsey, I am an acquaintance of Ororo Munroe, and I am in need of her and the other´s teacher's assistance." He said politely.

"_One moment please._"

",,,"

"_Please drive to the forward entrance the door shall be unlocked and will have one of the staff waiting for you._" She spoke as the gates opened.

He did as asked and calmly drove to the entrance.

"Is this the place you talked about?" Karen asked as she looked at the school.

"Yes I know someone here, these people will help you Karen." He explains to her.

Soon the stop and he stores the helmets and goes in, there he finds a young woman waiting for them.

She had short red hair, green eyes, wore white loose jeans and long sleeved blouse, if he remembered correctly this was Rachel Summers, details on her was sketchy but according to the information she was from an alternate timeline, and is the daughter of Scott Summers and Jean Grey of that timeline, she also inherited her mother's abilities, this would be interesting to say the least.

"Hello and welcome to the Institute, my name´s Rachel Grey." She said as she extended her hand to him.

"Hello, I am John Mendez Halsey; it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Grey." He replied as he shook her hand, making a note to update the information.

"The pleasure is mine, and who is this cutie?" She asks as she bends down to look at Karen, who hides behind him.

"This is Karen Anderson and the reason for my visit; I am hoping your people can help her." He replies for the girl.

"Hello Karen, you don´t have to be afraid no one will hurt you here." Rachel says to the girl as she gives her a comforting smile.

"R-really?" she asks.

"Yes if you could both follow me I will take you to the headmaster's office." She said as she turned around and headed for the staircases with him and Karen following behind.

As they make their way up he sees all the different children who make their home here have different looks because of their mutations, some have markings, other have wings, others fur, some look completely human and some do not, he does not judge them though, for he and the others were outcasts in his home reality despite their contributions, he did not know if that had change with the end of the war, he can only hope it does, one thing he does note however is that he also gets stared at namely by the female students.

Rachel in the meantime is pondering about the man, for one thing he is definitely a looker, and she took notice of his well kept body and rugged face, the pale skin made him look like a Greek statue, which made him look more exotic.

Storm, Jennifer and Carol had talked about the man with her and some of the others, his opinions about enhanced humans being a different breed of mutants really got her and the others thinking, Beast and the professor were actually hoping to meet the man.

Now here he was bringing this poor child here to a place where she could be accepted, thoughtfulness like that gave her hope for the dream they had of peaceful coexistence.

"You don´t seem too unsettled by the students, Mr. Halsey." She says.

"They are simply humans with unique abilities and characteristic, Ms. Grey, to hold that against them would be truly inhuman." He replies to her, making her smile.

They soon arrived at the third floor, and head towards the headmaster's office.

"Please wait here a moment while I speak to the headmasters?" she said as she showed him the seats outside before going in.

John and Karen do so, he sees that she is nervous, and places and arm around her to comfort her.

"Relax Karen, no one will hurt you, and if they try they shall deal with me." He spoke to her in a confident tone.

"You mean it?" she asks as she looks at him, wondering why he cares for her safety.

"Yes I do." He replies with the same confidence, earning a grateful smile.

Soon students who were passing by heard him and where a bit shocked at such care by a normal human for the little girl, three in particular took note of him.

He saw them standing at the end of the hallway, three blond haired girls in blue dresses, he waved politely at them, they blushed and waved back, before leaving.

Soon the doors opened and Rachel stepped out, though she seemed irritated by something.

"They will see you now." She said with a forced smile showing she was mad about something that occurred inside.

"Thank you, come on Karen." He sat as he held out his hand to her and she took it with a smile.

They soon stepped in and found three people in the room one was Ororo, in a blue jeans that had some dirt on the knees, meaning she was working outside, a green hirt under a flannel one with the sleeves rolled up.

Next was a man he had identified as Scott Summers, he was in uniform minus the cowl and the visor, instead he wore the ruby quartz glasses, next to him was a blonde woman in white pants, cape and top, she was quite beautiful but gave of a bit of arrogant feel to him.

As he stepped in he felt a subtle nudging in his mind, this meant someone was trying to get in, this was a problem as they may discover his origins and the secrets he held, so he grimaced and brought a hand to his head.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Halsey?" Rachel asks, while shooting a sidelong glance at Emma.

"**Cut it out Frost.**" She sends.

"**I am simply trying to confirm his intentions, dear.**" She replies in a voice that radiates superiority.

"**Yeah, well knock it off, he has brought someone who needs help, that tells me he is all right, and Storm vouches for him, drop it or I have a chat with Dad.**" She spoke ending a mental glare at her.

"**Fine, but let us hope your judgment isn't clouded by your hormones.**" The White Queen replies.

"**Stay out of my head Frost, or I show just how much of my mother is in me.**" She replies with an outlined glow appearing over her right eye, Scott and Ororo see it and can tell Emma is tempting a hornet's nest…Again.

"John, it is a pleasure to see you again, I'm sorry for my appearance but I was working in my gardens when you came." The weather mutant says in hopes of breaking of any confrontations between the telepaths.

"No problem Ms. Munroe, it was a sudden visit driven by circumstances I felt required your team's attention." He replied.

"Yes, speaking of which." Emma spoke up, as she directed a look at Karen.

"I'm sorry; I don't believe I got your name." John speaks, though he knows who she is, as well as her…colorful background.

"I did not give it." She replies.

"This is Emma Frost and I am Scott Summers we are currently acting heads of the Institute." The leader of the X-men speaks as he gets out of the chair to shake the man's hand.

"John Mendez Halsey, you can call John, Mr. Summers, and Ms. Frost." He replies as he shakes his hand and nods at Emma who just acknowledges his presence.

"Then you may call Scott."

"This is Karen Anderson; I brought her here so she can get some help." He spoke while Karen waved shyly.

"And she shall receive it." Storm spoke as she kneeled down to look Karen in the eye.

"Hello Karen, would you like to come with me? So we can get cleaned up and get you something to eat." Storm asks as she holds out her hand to the girl.

"Will you still be here?" She asks John.

John sees that she is scared, so he is thankful that he doesn't have anything to do right know.

"If it's all right with them, sure I can stay a little while, but only a little." He says as he looks at the group.

"That's no problem at all; Rachel can show you around the facilities while Ororo helps her out." Scott asks.

"**Is that wise darling? We hardly know the man or his intentions.**" Emma sent to him.

"**Emma, please let it go, I know you have trust issues but if we are ever to achieve coexistence then we have a duty to make bridges with mankind.**" He sent back.

"**If I didn't love you so much I would call you a dreamer, Scott.**" She sends back.

"**And it's because of that you love me, and please try to get along with Rachel, it's hard that we aren't talking because of my relationship with you, I don't want you tearing into each other like you did with Jean.**" He tells her while projecting his emotions through their link.

"**For you I will try, but I cannot say the same for her.**" She replied.

"Well, let's get you to a nice warm bath and some clean clothes to make you look your best." Storm says as she holds her hand and takes her to get clean up.

"Okay." She says and waves at John, who smiles and waves back.

"Well, Mr. Halsey let's go give you that tour." Rachel speaks up.

"Lead the way Ms. Grey."

"Call me Rachel; Ms. Grey makes me feel old." She says with a smile.

"Then call me John." He replied as he gave a small smile in return, and soon is lead away to tour the school.

"That girl has got it bad." Emma said out loud.

"What?" asked a startled father figure.

Rachel showed him the more public places of the school as the lower levels were not for the public.

She showed him the courtyards, the stables, the gardens, the garage where they kept their many vehicles, except the mission oriented ones, the classrooms, and finally she took him to the school cafeteria for a bite.

She ordered a ceaser salad and a glass of water.

He took some pot roast, mashed potatoes and steam vegetables with a coke.

They were looking for a place to sit when they were waved over by a brown haired woman.

"Rachel, over here!" she yells over the crowd.

"Kat! Come on John you have got to meet my friends." She spoke as she pulled him over, much to the amusement of those at the table.

"So tell us who this is? And is he single or has a twin brother?" Katherine Pride asks.

"Kitty! Please he is a guest." A thoroughly embarrassed Rachel replies.

"Oh she meant no harm luv, hello my name is Elizabeth Braddock, but people here call me Betsy." The violet haired woman says, she appears to be asian with violet eyes and fine features, quite the looker actually.

"Hey there name's Bobby Drake, or Iceman as you can tell." Spoke the ice manipulator who was a walking iceman.

"I am Alex Summers, in Scott's younger brother." Spoke a blonde hair man in a uniform with a glowing center.

"And I am Katherine Pryde, friends call me Kitty or Kat." The woman spoke.

"Or sometimes Kitty Kat." Bobby adds earning some snickers from the others and a glare from the young woman.

"Watch it Drake."

"Hello, my name's John Mendez, but you can call me John if you like." He spoke as he and Rachel sat down.

"So John, you never did answer those questions." Kitty continues as she looks at him with interest.

"**He is a dish.**" She thinks a bit too loudly.

"**Kitty, behave you.**" Rachel tells her best friend.

"**Oh come on, even Betsy is looking, and so are you, admit it he is quite eye pleasing.**"

"**Fine, he is, now be polite.**"

"Heh, yes I am single and no I don't have a brother…Kat." He replies.

"So what brings you down here John?" Alex asks.

"I came to drop off someone who could benefit from the institute." He replied to Havok.

"Really? That's good, normal people usually ignore mutants or worse." Elizabeth spoke.

"Trust me I got an example on the way here, took all my will and patience not to hurt the man." John said as the memory of the gas attendant brought a frown on his face.

Rachel felt his anger for Karen and took his hand.

"You are good man for looking out for her well being, Betsy is right mutants rarely are shown such kindness." She said.

"What can you tells us about her?" Psylocke asks.

"Well, she is ten by my estimates, her mutation is physical as it changed her appearance, she has black reptilian scales and red eyes no pupils, from what she told me she lived with her mother because her father left before she was born, her mother accepted her despite the change, other's however did not." He spoke evenly.

"What happened?" Kitty asks.

"She said some people came and told her mother to get rid of her, she did not, they attacked her and told Karen too run, she did and when she returned her mother was dead, she has been on the streets for who knows how long feeding on garbage all because of bigotry." He said in obvious distaste.

"That poor child." Betsy said in sadness for her.

"You did right John, maybe we can find out who did it and make sure they don't do it again." Alex spoke as he planned to talk to Scott; no child deserves to go through that.

"You can count me in Summers, bastards should pay for that, poor kid." Iceman adds.

"I already plan to look into the matter."

"Look into what matter?" a woman behind him asked, he noted carried a southern accent to it.

He turns and sees a woman in a green and yellow jumpsuit of unknown material, with a leather air force jacket over it, she is quite beautiful and hair long brown hair with a white streak in the middle.

"What ya'll talking about? And who is this?" Rogue asks as she carries her tray.

"Oh, this is John Mendez, John this is Rogue, she is a teacher and a member of the team, and John here was talking to us about a girl he brought that needed help." Kat replies.

Rogue looks at the man, she is bit surprised by his pale complexion, though she thinks that it gives him an exotic look.

"Hello there, are you a mutant planning to join the institute as well?" she asks as she sits down.

"No I have no powers, I just found a person who did and needed help…"

"Hey there's Kurt! Oh, sorry there John." Bobby apologizes.

"That's all right."

"Hey Kurt! Over here!" Alex says to his fellow X-man.

Kurt Wagner AKA Nightcrawler looks and sees his friends; he is one of those with a noticeable mutation, that being, blue skin, yellow eyes, three digits on his hands and feet and a tail, he wear red and blue jump suit with the hands and feet white.

"Kurt don't…!" "BAMPF!"

"BAMPF!"

"Guten Tag, my friends." Kurt greets as the smoke clears.

"Kurt, we have to talk about your porting in the cafeteria." Alex says.

"My apologies Alexander, ah and who is this gentleman?" He asks as he catches sight of the Spartan.

"Hello, my name's John." He says as he offers his hand.

"Kurt Wagner, at your service." He says in a jovial tone as he shakes the man's hand, surprise by his willingness.

Rogue and Kurt sit with their friends where John explains once why he is here and about Karen.

"Ugh, that poor child, to suffer such a fate at such a young age." Kurt laments.

"She was one of the lucky ones, Kurt..." Rogue says to her friend before turning to John "…And you sir are a saint for helping her."

"I did the humane thing, nothing more, now I hope to find the one or ones responsible." He replied.

"You a gumshoe?" Iceman asks.

"I prefer the term private investigator, but yes, it helps maintain my skills in shape."

"What did you used to do?" Rachel asks.

"I was in the Navy." He replies using his cover story.

"Oh, what did you do?"

"I was involved in many missions all over the world some peaceful other of a certain nature I cannot divulge, let's just say it is one of the reasons I don't give much stock to religion." He spoke seriously, not noticing Kurt's demeanor change.

"Are you an atheist?" Kurt asks, not in malice but curiosity, as a man of great faith he has often help many of his friends in their own crisis for belief in a higher power, so he feels obligated sometimes to aid those in such a position.

"Not in the sense that I find the idea of religion offensive, but it is just, sigh, the last missions I underwent with my unit, we saw things done in the name of religion that made us sick to our stomach, children orphaned or killed, Mothers and Fathers crying out for them, people losing their lands because of it and not being able to understand why, and I lost a lot of friends to zealots who thought they were in the right." He finishes, and all can tell from his eyes that this man has suffered a lot of tragedy and horror.

As mutants they suffer persecution everyday and it makes them forget that normal human beings suffer just as much as they do.

They can tell that John does not like to talk about it and keeps his anger and sadness buried.

In Rachel's case she can feel it, barely though.

"**He must have great control over his emotions, maybe to survive the pain.**" She thinks.

"I'm sorry I ruined the mood."

"No my friend, it is I who should apologize, I have made you remember painful memories, I am catholic you see, and sometimes I believe I should help others when they feel lost, I can see that you have seen the darker sides of faith, I too have seen this and had my belief placed on trial, so you have nothing to apologize for, all I can say is that despite all you have seen you must have seen some good somewhere since you do not have an aversion to it." Nightcrawler says.

John thinks about that, he mostly saw religions help with the other soldiers during the war as they clung to the belief that someone was looking out for them.

"I had seen men and women beliefs see them through dark times, of course one thing my drill instructor taught me is there is no such thing as an atheist in a fox hole." He says earning some chuckles.

"Heh, indeed my friend, but even so that belief they had gave them strength, did it not?"

"Yes, it did too some."

"Then it has served its purpose and aided them when they needed it the most, I am sure one day you too shall feel its benefits, besides just as there are those who abuse faith, there are those who redeem it, yes?"

"Hmm, perhaps one day I shall encounter them." He replies.

"One can only hope, but enough talk of such matters; I believe there is someone looking for you at the entrance." Kurt says as John and the others see Ororo there with Karen, wearing a small jeans and pink sweatshirt.

They soon spot him and make their way towards him.

"Hello Karen, how do you feel?" he ask.

"Great! Miss Monroe gave me a bath, and some clothes and I met a lot of kids like me." She replied quite happy with the place.

"That's good Karen, I hope you like this place it…" he was interrupted by the nanites going off.

"**Send to cell.**"

"RING!"

"Sorry it's the office, I have to take this." He apologized.

"_John! The Hulk is attacking! Dr. Doom sent a transmission to the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, I intercepted it, he gave him a massive overdose of Gamma rays and now he is tearing up Central Park, what do we do?_"

"**Prep the Pelican, load it with Covenant tech, our stuff isn't going to cut it, though the Covenant weaponry might not either, still we have to try, have it converge on my location as soon as I give the signal.**" He sent to her.

"_Got it Chief, see you soon._" She signed off.

"I have to go, my sister got into some trouble on a case, and needs some back up." He spoke.

"You're leaving?" Karen asked not really relishing the thought.

"I have to go Karen, she needs me."

"Ok." She said sadly.

"Karen, would you like me too visit?" he asked her making her face light up.

"Yes please!"

"Then I promise I will, and I always keep my promises." He said to her.

"I'm sure you do John, will take care of her in the meantime." Storms says to him to reassure him.

"And will help out in that other matter too." Alex adds as he doesn't want to ruin the girl's good mood with thoughts of her mother.

The others in the know agree.

"Thank you, I'll call as soon as I finish this." John replies to them.

"Let me show you a quick way out." Rachel says as she gets up.

John is soon escorted out and goes to the Mongoose, he quickly activates it and heads off, and all the while thinking that he is in for the fight of his life.

To be continued…

A/N: Well here we are once more, shame about Freedom going dark because of the moving deal.

As you can see I did give John a job that, in my opinion works in favor of his skill set, I know some wanted me to pull the same as Freedom and make them company owners but that would be too easy and I am trying to emulate him not copy.

To the many people who commented on the whole Jen and Carol finding the connection, your right I screwed up, hopefully this will resolve that issue, though with the coming battle that may change.

Originally I wasn´t going for an OC when he visits the X-men, but then I thought, this could work in humanizing him and showing his non military side, so Karen was born, hopefully I can work her into this as I have never done an OC before.

Timeline in the X-men is after Morrison ended his run, with Jean´s death and the Professor go onto his spirit journey, Scott and Emma are couple, also Psylocke is back from the dead and only has Telekinesis, and as for Rogue since I know people will ask, I don´t know yet.

Next chapter I start off with what Doc Doom said and who is in on stopping the rampage before John gets there, I warn you though he will win, but he will pay for it, no one beats him without a price, this will also mark the appearance of my version of the Hulkbuster, its largely based on the Cyclops from Halo Wars with some modifications that take it beyond what Stark can come up with and something the UNSC would consider using, I have to think this through though I don´t want to cheapen the fight, but I also don't come as to easy.

Unlike the DC where I got an idea on who to use for a pairing, it is trickier here, so many wonderful choices, but I will work on it, finally I shall warn that the big reveal will be similar to the DC version, with some modifications, you have been warned, peace out.


	6. Chapter 6

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Chapter 5:

On board the Pelican…

John was looking over his equipment he was to use against the living force of nature known as the Hulk; Cortana was flying at the helm, both planning strategies and contingencies for a battle of this magnitude.

"John, the Commander is on the line." Cortana spoke.

John walk's over and sits as the image of the Commander appears.

"_Chief I have been notified of the situation regarding the Hulk, and obviously you intend to engage him, you sure you want in on this fight?_" She asks as she has seen the information on the being and is clearly worried.

"No choice Commander, this Doom character unleashed this being for the express purpose of calling me out, I am responsible for it coming to be, I will not allow others to face the consequences in my stead." He replies.

"_I can see I am not going to be able to talk you out of this, so I can only aid you as best I can, with that in mind Redeeming has showed me his and Cortana's little project_." Miranda says to him.

Her image switched to something that actually left him pole axed.

The image showed a hologram of a, what he assumed, large armor, he recognized the torso as a Cyclops body chassis, except this one did not have a polarized canopy or ended in point at the juncture were it legs met the torso. (A/N: Imagine an oversized MJOLNIR armor.)

Instead there was a polarized slit 15cm wide and the torso was wider, its arms and legs where different also, they looked to be exactly like the MJOLNIR's, except more massive to conform to the new body, he could swear it looked like an oversized MJOLNIR.

The reason for the size also came from looking at the weapons it carried, weapons usually seen on Warthogs.

"Well since the cat is out of the bag, I might as well give you low down on my little bundle of terror." She spoke as she began the detailed breakdown of their latest creation.

"This is the result of combining, a modified Cyclops power suit, the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL armor, the MJOLNIR and the Ironman Hulkbuster armor."

"It is approximately 9 feet tall, the torso is a modified Cyclops chassis with the exception that instead of a polarized plate of reinforced glass, there is a slit, thus incrementing the protection provided and reducing potential target area."

"It hooks up directly to both the power pack and your neural implants, meaning you are the power source and the controller; don't worry though, we integrated power amplifiers throughout it that allow a reduction in power input while maximizing the power it takes, so there is little chance of it shutting down."

"We chose to use the same Titanium-Vanadium alloy used on standard UNSC Destroyers, the reason being that in case of shutdown no one can replicate the Forerunner alloys, which could be done in this world, to compensate, it has been specially treated to remove all impurities and strengthen to levels that reach half the strength of your armor at the most."

"We removed the Cyclops bulky and cumbersome arms and legs and in their place put ones that emulated the MJOLNIR's and conformed to the structure, in this way it emulates Starks Hulkbuster in its humanoid design, however we made several improvements that far surpass his armor."

"First the hydraulics, motors and servos are made to exert and withstand extreme levels pressure, why? Because this baby has Force-Multiplying and Reactive circuitry and a Reactive Metal Liquid Crystal Layer, unlike the Ironman version that had magno-hydraulic pseudo-musculature, this makes our version just as strong but without sacrificing speed and mobility."

"What about shock from movement? I doubt the gel I use can be applied here." John asks.

"We placed shock absorbers used to diffuse the kinetic forces involved; also since this would produce heat and friction, we used the Dawn's reactor coolant as well as a special lubricant of our own design"

"Also it has flight capabilities with thrusters on its feet and maneuvering jets on the back, it is pressure sealed, though I don't recommend it for underwater combat as its weapons are not designed for it, speaking of which…." She says as images show the weaponry utilized for this project.

"The right arm carries a six barreled T261 Gatling gun with 1500, 20 mm HE rounds on its forearm."

"The left arm carries a prototype I made using the M6 as a base, instead of firing a concentrated beam, it fires powerful bolts of energy, and though weaker than the concentrated version they have better penetration than the M6."

"On the left back shoulder there is a mounted rocket launcher, taken and modified from the M12R LAAV, I have made it capable of firing 120 mm HE-AT missiles, instead of the standard 69 mm, they have been given tracking systems that can be program to follow certain signatures in this case gamma energy."

"On the palms you'll find two repulsors made to size and withstand our power outputs, they're not Stark's but a failed prototype from Hammer's attempts at power armor which we fixed."

"Why are they not Stark designed?" He asks.

"Because the man does not react well when someone takes his armor designs without consent, I'm sure he'll throw a hissy when he sees them." she replies.

"In the thighs you´ll locate two combat knives scaled to size, they are made of high quality titanium A and are laser sharpened, meaning they will cut him."

"Finally this is your most dangerous weapon the M68 Gauss cannon on the back right shoulder, this can and will most likely go through the man's thick hide, however I do believe you should use this as a weapon of last resort as he has to be mostly immobile for a good shot, also they may not react well to you killing him." Cortana spoke.

"Then will have to be persuasive in our dealings with him." John replies as he reviews all the capabilities this new weapons system permits.

"Indeed."

"What do you call it?" He asks.

"Ragnarok, cause it will end things one way or another." She replies with a smirk.

"Part of me hopes we don't pull it out and another wants to take it out for a ride." He said honestly.

"Of course you do, we made it that way after all." She replies as they get closer to the battlefield.

"_I am having it armed and prepped for delivery, as soon as the signal is given; it shall be airdropped to you, good luck you´re going to need it for this one._" Miranda while the Spartan as his companions give thanks and hope they won´t need to call the heavy artillery.

_With the Heroes…._

Central Park was best described as a war zone right now; the Hulk was currently engaging the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Spider-man, and winning given his current frame of mind, which was uncontrollable rage due to the machinations of Dr. Doom.

Flashback…

The Avengers where currently on standby as there were no new threats to deal with, a rare thing to be treasured, sadly this calm was soon broken by alarms going off.

Captain America and a few others rushed to the war room to see what's going on, there he found Ironman and T'challa at the controls.

"What's going on!" He yells over the alarms.

"Someone is attempting to breach the mainframe." He replied without looking back.

"Have they penetrated the firewalls?" Yellowjacket asks.

"Not yet, it's almost like their doing it just to grab our attention, the algorithms are complex but nothing we can't handle." The Black Panther says to his teammates.

"Wait a minute, I know this code, it's…"

"Greeting heroes." Spoke a voice they all knew and hated, and soon their monitors were showed the self imposed monarch, sitting on his throne.

"Doom." Rogers speaks in scorn at the man."What is the meaning of this? Why are trying to get into our mainframe?"

"Oh do pardon my little subterfuge, I merely required your attention, ah but before I forget, would you be so kind as to contact…Richards." The dictator spoke disdain the name of his rival.

"Why should we do anything you ask? You chrome platted psycho." Hawkeye says.

"Mr. Barton, as eloquent as ever I see, but given are history I shall concede this point, and contact the little group myself." He spoke as if the archer had not spoken at all.

"…"

"What do you want Victor?" Reed asks his rival and enemy, as he and his team appear on another monitor.

"Oh such a simplistic yet grand question coming from such a simple mind, but then again it is you Richards, you who waste so much of your mind for the benefit of the masses, when you could use it to enlighten them." The man said.

"Pardon for my lack of desire to become a tyrant." The leader of the Four replied.

"Answer the damn question ya mook." Ben says to the man.

"Mr. Grimm, I see you still retain the same brutish intelligence to go with your "unique" appearance." Doom mocks knowing the man´s sensibilities towards his appearance.

Ben grits his teeth in anger thinking of all the ways he will hurt the mad dictator.

"I'm gonna break every one of your teeth when I get my hands on you." The Thing replies.

"Ben, not let him get to you…" Susan says as she looks at her friend then glares at the armored tyrant "…and you answer my husband's question Doom, or this conversation is over." She said with finality many of the team and Avengers nodding in agreement.

"My dear Susan, still as passionate as ever, very well since you've ask so nicely, it has come to my attention that there is a new element among your rather colorful community, someone who has drawn my attention." He says letting that sink in.

Everyone was confused by that, except two who made the connection immediately.

"The talking about the Spartan aren't you?" Jennifer said as she stepped closer to the monitor.

"Indeed Ms. Walters, I have had my eyes on his activities as of late, and I find myself fascinated by his technology, as I am sure some of you have, right Ironman?" he asks in amusement.

"So what, you're hoping to recruit him? Get him to share his toys? Forget it Doom, we may not know him all that well but I sure as hell can bet he isn't the kind to make partnerships with scum like you." Ironman says openly, but mentally he is worried; they have no way to warn the man of Doom's interest in him.

Of course he is not aware this conversation is being monitored by two powerful A.I's.

"I am a generous man and I am sure there is something I can offer him in return for his knowledge, if not then I shall simply relieve him of it, but first I would like to see the full limits it has and for that I have prepared a little test." The man said as the image changed to one they found themselves in shock over.

"Say hello to your cousin, Ms. Walters." Domm says at the emerald skinned woman as she sees the Hulk lying on his stomach with some rods sticking out of his back, causing some brown patches to appear.

"What have you done to him you bastard!" She yells as she is now being restrained, not easily mind you, by her teammates from smashing the console.

"A little lesson in science my dear, Boron rods are used to control nuclear reactions, apparently Gamma infused beings do not react well to it, but don't worry, your cousin will soon be refreshed once he reaches the target area." He replied ignoring the hate filled gaze of the woman.

"Target area? Doom you can't possibly be serious!" Rogers says in shock to the man's disregard for life.

"I am giving you a fighting chance though, it is in an area with lots of open space and hardly any casualties to worry about, Central Park to be precise, which should be in range in 5 minutes, do try to keep Banner entertained." Doom said before cutting off his feed and showed robots removing the rods and then blasting him with Gamma energy.

The effects were immediate as the green behemoth no supercharged and angered proceeded to make a wreck off everything within reach.

"All right we have got to engage him, how many heavy hitters do we have?" Steve's asks.

"Wonder Man, Warbird and She-Hulk, Thor is on the West coast, Hercules is dealing with family matters and Namor is in Atlantis, Steve." T'challa replies.

"Don't forget me, I can wail on the guy for while." The Thing said.

"All right, round up everyone we can, we meet up at Central Park, now move the more we wait the more damage he'll do ." Cpt. America said as he headed out.

"What about the Spartan?" Carol asks.

"We have no means to contact him, but if he I can bet he will come in order to deal with this threat." He replies.

End Flashback…

Along the way Spider-man had heard the commotion and tagged along, now most of the heroes were facing the living force of nature and sadly made very little headway to stop him.

"**RRAAARG, HULK SMASH!**" He bellowed as he ripped of a chunk of Earth and threw it at the fliers consisting of Ironman, Warbird and the Human Torch.

"BZZZT." The sound of repulsor fire was heard as Tony blew the chunk in to smaller pieces.

"We are not making a dent in him; he is too pissed right now!" Torch says as he fires off several balls of superheated plasma at the gamma mutant.

Hulk responds by bringing his hands together.

"CLAP!" "BOOM!"

"Son of a…!" Warbird yells as all three of them struggle to stabilize themselves in the face of the powerful clap.

"**HULK WILL CRUSH YOU!**" Hulk yells as he jumps up after them.

"Ironman look out!" Sue yells from the ground.

"Gah!" the armored avenger yells as he is caught in a powerful bear hug by the green man.

"Can't…breathe." He manages to say as warnings pop up on his HUD.

Tony raises his hands towards the Hulk's head and fires a concentrated blast.

"**RARRRG!**" he yells as he covers his smoking face, releasing the man.

"Hey jolly green! Here's knuckle sandwich for ya." The Thing yells as he delivers a right cross to his face with a resounding boom following.

"**RRRR, HULK NO LIKE UGLY ROCK MAN!**" He says in turn and retaliates with a right of his own, his actually stunning the muscle of the Four.

"Hang on Ben!" Reed yells as he stretches and ties the Hulk with his body, Sue helps by placing a force field around his head, hoping to cut off his oxygen supply.

Hulk responds by thrashing around and beating the invisible filed, Susan and Reed are straining to keep the man made Titan down but this angers him further thus empowering him further, finally his fists shatter the field.

"Aaahh!" Susan screams in pain as the backlash strikes her.

"Sue!" Her husband yells at the sight of his collapsed wife, this distracts him and he gets a power fist to the face, thankfully his powers absorb much of the force behind the blow though he is still knocked unconscious.

"No one does that to my sister!" Johnny yells as he fires of a stream of fire at the Hulk.

"**HULK HATE FIRE**" Hulk yells before ripping off a large boulder size piece of earth and throws it at the Human Torch.

Torch dodges but foes not see the Hulk hand grab him until it is too late.

"Gah! Let me go you big idiot!" the Torch yells increasing his flames enough that the Hulk feels pain form holding him.

"**STOP HURTING HULK.**" He yells.

"Then let me go stupid!"

"**HULK IS NOT STUPID…RAGH!**" He replies and throws the torch away hard enough his flames go out and is headed for a tree.

"THIWP!"

A large net of webbing stops him from becoming one with it.

"You owe me one hothead!" Spider-man says before he, Captain America, Wonder Man and She-Hulk go towards the Jade giant.

"Bruce calm down, no one is going to hurt you if you if calm down." His cousin says gently in hopes of stopping the angry being.

"**HULK NO CALM DOWM, EVERYONE HURT HULK, HULK WANTS TO BE LEFT ALONE!**" He bellows.

"I don't think he is calming down Jen!" Spider-man asks as he places refills for his shooters.

"Get ready everyone." Steve says as he tenses for the confrontation.

"Please Bruce you know me, I would never hurt you."

"**HULK NO PUNY BANNER, HULK STRONGEST ONE THERE IS…GRAGH!**" He cries before launching himself at the heroes.

"THIWP!" Spider-man fires his webbing at the Hulks face blinding him momentarily, then at his arms and legs.

"**God let it hold; just for a minute that's I'll I ask.**" He thinks as he keeps a stream going.

The captain throws his shield at the Hulk's torso while Simon punches the giant's head making him real back.

Hulk finally breaks through and he is furious.

"**HULK WILL S…**" "BOOM!"

"Stay down Banner!" Yellowjacket yells as he is in giant form and repeatedly beats the downed form of the Hulk.

He stops and runs Hawkeye firing explosive arrows into the crater; explosions going off simultaneously can be heard.

No movement is seen for some minutes.

"I think we got h…" Clint doesn't get to finish.

"**RARRRG! HULK SMASH!**" The still very much transformed scientist yell before delivering a hammer blow to the giant human's right knee.

"BOOM!" "CRACK!"

"Son of a bitch! Oh god my knee!" he yells as he clutches the broken appendage falling to the ground with enough force to shake it.

"Shit!" Clint yells as he is now firing everything he has at the man, nothing having effect.

"**PUNY HUMAN HURT HULK, NOW HULK HURT YOU.**" He says as he tries to grab him.

"Hey! That's my job!" Jen yells as she delivers a dropkick to the Hulk's back.

Warbird and Ironman then follow up with an energy blast to his face.

Simon dives in and punches his stomach with several powerful blows.

Steve throws his shield, catches it, then throws it again, Spider-man diving in and out, delivering punches and kicks to his head during the pauses.

"**ENOUGH!**" he screams in fury as he does in even more powerful thunderclap that pushes all of them back several feet away.

"Ugh! Rogers we aren't making a dent in him!" Clint says as he gets up on wobbly legs.

"I know! But we have to hold him off until back up arrives." He replies.

"What back up!" Barton yells in frustration almost missing the sound of missile fire.

"BOOM!"

"Look up there!" Jen point to a very familiar plane.

John surveyed the area from the cockpit of the Peilcan as he fired another round of missiles at the Hulk, followed by a burst from the 70mm autocannon.

"**GRAAGH!**" a cry of pain was given of as both the missiles and the bullets were stronger than conventional weaponry of the time, not enough to wound him but still he felt the pain of hot metal crashing into his body.

"I think you got his attention John." Cortana joked though internally she was worried.

"**That barrage would have leveled half a dozen bezerking Hunters, yet that guy is still standing and throwing a fit, I better signal Redeeming to prep it for launch, we may need it after all.**" She thought as she sent the order to her fellow A.I.

"Let's go." He said out loud as he went to get armed, leaving a copy of her to fly the Pelican.

John went to the weapons locker and there he picked the tools he would use for this fight, those being a pair of DEP, DER/J, and finally a T50-SRS, this Covenant weapons were modified to not overheat as easily increasing their rate of fire.

The Pelican swung hard right as it avoided a projectile by the green behemoth.

"_Man! He is worse than a rampaging Brute having a bad hair day._"

"Time to go say hi to the man."

"_Be careful John, there's a reason he is considered a force of nature._"

"I make no promises on this one." He said before opening the cargo bay and engaging his thrusters.

Upon first sighting the raging man beast he targeted the rifle and took a careful shot to the right shoulder.

"ZZZZAT!"

Hulk took the shoot and let out a bellow of pain as in penetrated the skin letting green blood pour out, it did not manage to penetrate the bone but went a third of the way into the muscle, the heat of the beam managing to cauterize the wound slowing his rapid healing somewhat.

Hulk look at the wound then glared at the Spartan as he landed, he could have use his aerial advantage but flying made it hard to aim precisely.

"**HULK WILL CRUSH YOU!**" He yelled as he ran at the Spartan fist raised high in order to punish the one who hurt him.

John ran AT the Hulk firing as he did, he shot the Hulk in the left thigh, right side of the abdomen and left bicep, before making a slide between his legs and firing again, he missed a headshot but did leave a long wound on his chest.

"**RRAAARRRG!**" The beast roared in pain and anger.

John dropped the rifle and grab the pistols and began to fire on his opponents exposed back earning more screams.

Hulk was livid and fought back, first delivering a right hook which John ducked under, then a left, John jumping over that with a grace that should not be possible for a man with an armor like his, and a finally a kick that overextend the Hulk which John sidestepped before firing into it, making the behemoth topple down, John then charges his pistols to max and fires into the chest.

The heroes were astonished to say the least, Ironman was shocked, he could never achieve such fluid movements in his armor, yet this man could do so and more, then there were this new weapons he brought out.

"Computer analyze energy signature." He asks his on board systems.

"One moment please…analysis complete, energy signature reads as superheated plasma." It responds.

"My god…" he says loud enough the others hear him.

"What is it Tony?" A reawakened Reed asks while having his wife arm over his shoulder and her brother helping on the other side.

"This... Spartan´s weapons, according to my armors analysis, his using plasma based weaponry." He asks eliciting a gasp from his fellow scientist.

"But that´s only on a theoretical stage! You and I should know as we both proved that the power requirements as well as size showed them to be impossible to create at this juncture in time." The elastic man spoke as he and the other now took closer look at the UNSC super soldier.

"**ARRRGH!**" Hulk screams as the force of the blast pushes him back, while the superheated plasma wreaks havoc on him causing minimal third degrees burns, which is saying much of the man's power considering that at that range and with power even a Brute would be dead before he hit the ground.

"**Damn, he is a tough one.**" John thinks as he holsters the pistols as they used up their charge and fuel, grabs his DER/J of his back.

Hulk now stands as his wounds heal; he glares with utter hate at the Spartan who now holds both the rapid fire weaponry in each hand looking on impassively at the green behemoth.

"**RAARGH!**" The breaks the stalemate first as he rushes in, John fires indiscriminately at the Hulk who is so angered he runs into it ignoring the pain and smashes his left fist into the place where the Spartan once stood.

John now fires as he circles the enraged being the rounds though not as powerful penetrate deeper into the flesh, Hulk retaliates by sending both fist into the ground causing the earth itself to tremble with enough force that cracks appear and the Spartans stops firing to adjust himself, however that is all the Hulk needs as he tears a large piece of earth and throws it at him.

John ducks but does not see the massive hand that grabbed him by the torso.

"**HULK SMASH GREEN MAN.**" He speaks before he begins slamming him down to the ground repeatedly, the shields flaring each time.

John decides enough is enough and manages to shoot the Hulks face; this however makes him hurl John away at great speed as he rolls onto the ground.

"Ugh, that went well."

"_John! Are you okay!_" Cortana asks as she watched the trashing he took.

"Peachy, how´s the armor?" He asks ignoring certain pains in his chest and arms from being slammed in to the hard ground repeatedly, his nanites going to work to repair the damage.

"_Still functional, but the shields almost failed, you can´t take another beating like that._" She says in a clearly distressed tone.

Meanwhile the heroes, after getting a breather leap back in to the fray with the living engine of destruction, Warbird, She-Hulk, Wonderman and the Thing going in close.

The Human Torch, Hawkeye and Ironman fire from a distance, the remaining heroes go to the Spartan and see if he requires help.

"Are you all right?" Sue asks as the man slowly gets up.

"Getting there, where are my weapons?" He asks calmly as if he wasn´t just thrashed about by the gamma powered being.

"I would be more worried about yourself than your weapons." Reed says, but John ignores him and finds his DER laying a few feet away from him, he grabs them and makes sure they are still functional.

"Where did you get those?" Mr. Fantastic asks.

"Do you want to play twenty questions or help put down the angry green man wrecking central park?" He asks.

"Put him down? You´re not seriously considering killing him are you?" Steve asks wondering two things.

"**Is it even possible to kill the Hulk? And should we let this man kill an innocent victim of an accident?**"

"If you don´t manage to stop him before he reaches the city, he will level a good portion of it and unknowingly kill wound or kill innocent bystanders, I will do what I must to prevent that, make no mistake that is a final solution should we fail in containing him, now are you going to stand around or help?" He asked this world's super soldier.

"All right, will help put we will not cross that line unless absolutely necessary." Cpt. Rogers says to the man, John nodding in agreement.

He reloads his weapons and spots his SRS in the distance.

"I'll be right back." He says to the group, who before he dashes to the weapon at a speed that should not be possible in an armor.

"Good lord! His just as fast as me." Steve says, awe clear in his voice.

Meanwhile the melee fighters are having a heck of a time containing the raging man as his anger makes him stronger against them.

"Damn it Bruce! Please just stop! Can't you see Doom is just using you!" She-Hulk implores as she dodges another right cross from her enraged cousin.

"**LEAVE HULK ALONE THEN!**" was his reply.

"Forget it Jen, Doom put too much gamma in him, he's got too much power to think clearly." Simon says as puts his hands together and delivers a hammer blow to the skull.

The Thing throws a right hook to the body of the Hulk while Warbird fires her energy beams at him.

The Spartan gets to his rifle and reloads a fresh power pack.

"Make a hole!" He yells at the heroes.

"Do as he says!" Ironman says as he spots the armored soldier with the rifle in hand.

The others do as their told just as the Spartan begins firing at the Hulk as fast as he can.

"**ARRG! GRRR HULK…SMASH!**" Hulks bellows as he rams his fist into the earth so hard a shockwave heads straight for John, he of course moves out its way, however the Hulks leaps high in to the air landing near him.

John pulls up the rifle only for it to click.

"**Damn out of power!**" he thinks as the Hulk swipes at him and only manages to grab his rifle.

Banner's alter ego brings the alien weapon to his knee and breaks it in two, then mashes the pieces in his hands leaving a small ball of metal.

"_Oh shit! Get out there John!_" Cortana yells.

John however stands his ground and brings out his pistols once more and fires.

Hulk however has fought for so long that his power know makes him ignore the stings they cause him, and rams his right foot into the man's chest.

The shields flare once more as he goes tumbling straight into a tree then flicker off.

"_John the shields are down! The emitters have been overloaded!_" Cortana speaks out as her worry for her protector is evident.

"**Have too…keep going.**" He grunts as he feels greater pain in his muscles, the shields and armor though absorbing much of the blow still could not block all of it.

Hulk however takes advantage of the situation and barrels down on him just as he gets up and turns to face him, seeing as he only has seconds before the gamma mutant crashes into him he makes two choices.

"**Initiate emergency A.I teleport and armor lockdown.**" He mentally commands the armor.

"_John wa…!_" Cortana never finishes as she is removed from the slot and the gel hardens for impact.

"BOOM!" "CRACK!" Was the sound heard Hulk rammed the immobile Spartan into the tree hard enough to break it.

Silence reigned as everyone was stunned by what just occurred.

"_Oh my god._" Jen whispered as see saw her cousin bulldoze the Spartan.

The Hulk looked at the unmoving figure, he could have left already but decided to make sure the threat was over, and began to pound on him with his fists.

"We have to get the Hulk away from him now!" Steve orders as everyone rushes over to draw the Hulk away from the downed soldier.

The ones with super strength tackle the emerald behemoth and push him back, while the range fighters waited for a chance to snipe at him.

Sue, Reed and Steve ran towards the downed Spartan, where upon reaching him saw that his armor had very noticeable dents, fractures, his visor was broken not enough to reveal his identity as only a top section broke free, revealing a closed eye covered in blood.

However they saw a flash of light in the back of his head, not knowing what to make of it they focused on getting him help.

"Urg! Good lord he weighs a ton!" Steve spoke as he and Reed tried to lift the man, not knowing he weighed around 700 pounds, less than the previous version of the armor.

"I'll use my force fields to carry him." The Invisible Woman said as she concentrated and the Spartan levitated.

However before they could move him, they heard Jets over the sound of battle, and then they saw a massive dropship appear out of nowhere and land.

They were tense and ready to strike when the back opened and out came a figure the Captain was familiar with waving them over.

"Get him over here!" Commander Keyes spoke, from the cover of the helmet she wore.

Sue and Reed were confused as to what to do.

"It's okay she is connected to this man, come on!" Steve says as they head over to her.

"Good god! I didn't think anything could penetrate the armor." She says as she gazes at the damaged Spartan.

"He took quite a beating; I'm amazed he isn't a pancake from the beating he took." Rogers said to the Commander.

"He's hurt we need to get him to a hospital." Sue says however.

"No…hospitals." The Chief speaks.

_Moments before…_

"_John! John! Wake up! Goddamn it soldier! You wake up right the fuck NOW!_"

"**Ugh, Cor…Cortana?**" He sends back weakly.

"_Oh thank God! I thought you were goner, don't you ever scare me like that again!_" She spoke with relief.

"**Run…a diagnostic.**"

"…"

"_The armor is in bad shape, power is intact but the rest of it took a pounding, I read multiple stress fractions on the chest area, fractures along the arms and legs, your helmet is broken enough that HUD is useless, as for you, you have multiple muscle traumas, and internal bruising on your torso, no bleeding but it will take considerable time for the nanites to heal, I have made them inject a painkiller for the moment._" She replied.

As she did he heard voices.

"…beating he took."

"He's hurt we need to get him to a hospital."

"No…hospitals."

"Chief!" Keyes spoke happy that her friend was alive.

"Unlock the armor." He spoke out loud, the heroes not understanding what he meant.

"_Done._" His partner spoke.

With some difficulty he rolled of the invisible platform and fell on his knees.

"Easy there man! You're hurt, you need help." Rogers spoke as he helped him up, though he is amazed that he can.

"No time for that, Commander did you bring it?" He asks as he moves away from the star spangled avenger, swaying slightly as he did.

"Yes…but you are in no condition to pilot it." She says as she sees he is barely able to stand.

"Only one who can, Commander; Cortana can the armor hold out long enough for me to finish this?" He asks out loud.

Much to the heroes surprise a female voice is heard from the armor.

"_It's not the armor I am worried about, your body may not be able to withstand the stress, hell I don't know how you are standing right now!_" she said truthfully.

"With a will and a prayer, now will it hold?"

"_Yes, but Chief you have to end this fast, the longer this goes the more you hurt yourself._" The woman's voice said with worry.

"Then let's get started." He said as he made his way into the cargo bay.

The four followed but the costumed men and woman stopped short as they saw what lay inside.

"Oh…my…god." Sue spoke as she saw the large and menacing exosuit.

"That looks like Hulkbuster armor, though I have never seen one like this." Reed says as he gazes at the machine.

John walks slowly towards it, and as if in response to his presence it opens up its chest, arms and legs, a harness drops from the chest area.

John lies back on it, and it snaps into place, he soon rises into it, once in position he places his hands into a gauntlet and his feet hook into some metallic arches, upon this the armor closes with its occupant.

"_John I reconfigured the suits holo emitters to act as a HUD, so as to best aid targeting and show your status._" Cortana spoke.

"Power on." He says and soon a loud hum can be heard as the machine activates.

The four look on as the large weapon came to life and saw as the minigun whirled and the rocket launcher moved to position.

"You ok Chief?" Commander Keyes asks.

"Just getting my second wind, let's do this, Commander get everyone a safe distance this is not going to be pretty." He spoke from the suit speakers.

"All right, you heard the man get your people inside." She spoke as she went to the cockpit.

John moved forward towards the exit, the three moving to the side.

_With the others…_

The others were once again losing ground with angered Hulk as he had overcome the surprise assault, and began to gain terrain.

"What the hell does it take to keep him down!" Hawkeye yells as he is on his last arrows.

"I don´t know but we can´t let him reach the city." Ironman replies as he looks between the fighters and the large ship that had appeared he had seen Reed, Sue and Steve take the Spartan over to a familiar figure in body armor, how the Spartan was barely standing on his own, and the five went into the back, however they had yet to reappear.

"**I hope they have something that can finish this or we are done for.**"He thought as he fires his unibeam at the Hulk.

"_Tony!_" the voice of Steve said over the private comm.

"Steve what's the situation?"

"_We have just been given an edge, but everyone needs to get in here now, I'll explain once you get here._" He says to his old friend.

"…all right, let's hope whatever this edge is can finish this." He replies.

"_Me too, Rogers out._"

"Everybody on board the Jet, now!" He yells over the sounds of battle.

"Are you kidding me! We're running away! And what about Pym?" Hawkeye yells.

"Pym, can you shrink down?" Tony asks through the com.

"_Already started, I'm small enough for pick up._" The wounded Avenger replies.

"Warbird pick up Pym and head to the Jet." He orders as he starts to fall back.

The others soon follow however the Hulk isn't about to let things lie and chases after them to the back of the Albatross only to meet a large metal fist to the face.

"BOOM!" "**HUAARG!**"

"Time for round two." John says from the Ragnarok as he slowly walks out, the heavy footsteps on metal soon change to thuds as his feet hit soft ground, he can see the Hulk is shaking his head from the force of the blow, behind him he hears the engines power up, and the ship slowly lifts off.

Inside everyone crowds around the windows to watch, some still reeling from the sight of the armor, Tony especially as he wonders what it can do.

He soon gets his answer when the Hulk stands up and growls at his opponent.

"**HULK SMASH METAL MAN!**" he cries out as he runs at the Spartan who casually lifts his hands and points his palms at the Hulk, a slow high pitch sound builds and soon.

"ZAT" "BOOM!"

Two repulsor beams hit the emerald giant in the chest hard and push him back a good 10 ft next to a collection of trees.

Ironman is shocked to say the least; the Commander decides to cut off any comments.

"_Before he asks, no we did not copy his Iron tech, so he better not bitch about it._" They hear over the speakers in the heavy dropship.

If anyone could see behind his helmet they would see him gaping like a fish.

Back on the field John targets his missiles at the rising Hulk.

"Fire in the hole."

Three missiles are launched and their telemetry and guidance systems soon find their objective, Hulk sees them coming and manages to bat two away but a third makes it and blows causing him some pain as this was a more advanced form of anti tank missile.

John keeps the pressure up as he raises the arms, and fires both the Mini and the M6, a hailstorm of hot metal and red energy bolts soon land on the behemoth who raises his arms in an attempt to stay off the assault, problem is the bolts are penetrating his skin enough that the explosive rounds are causing more damage.

Hulk decides to change tactics and grabs a tree that survived the missile blast, uprooting it and throws it at the cause of his pain.

John stops the barrage and bats it away, however he soon sees Hulk running at full speed, John decides to reciprocate and runs at him, and at 5 ft he jumps and delivers a dropkick to the chest, once more sending the angered green titan down.

"_Easy John! You exert yourself and you risk aggravating your wounds._" Cortana spoke.

"**Have to risk it.**" He replies as he flips the machine and rushes the downed behemoth, who is on all fours trying to stand, once he is close enough he punt's his head as if it was a football, causing him to fall on his back, John takes this opportunity to jump back and fire a trio of missiles.

"BOOM" "**ARRRG!**"

The Hulk struggles to get up despite the damage he's sustained, this however is soon hampered by the Spartan, firing the repulsors and pushing him will on the ground making a trench as he does.

John will not allow a moments rest and runs towards the downed behemoth, despie the protest his body makes at doing so.

Once there he sees that the Hulk is bleeding from several spots, were the beams struck, still he can see he is healing, John prepares to fire his arm mounted weapons when the Hulk reacts fast enough to throw a punch that rocks the suit of course.

Using anger and adrenaline Hulk gets up and begins to pummel the suit with as much strength he can muster despite his injuries, he throws right and left hooks mostly to the body, John being jostled as he does this.

"**All right that's enough of that.**" The Spartan thinks as he catches the right fist and uses a Judo throw to get him on his back, he does release the arm, the reasons is soon gives when he grabs it with both hands and twist and pulls hard.

"CRACK!" "POP!"

Hulk now screams as his right arm is now broken and dislocated, Hulk gets enough leverage to kick the Spartan away and gets up, he looks to his arms and sees it hang limp, so he grabs it above the break and tugs hard.

"POP!" "**RARGH!**" he obviously does not enjoy resetting his arm, though he can feel his bone mending it will take time, hearing heavy footsteps he turns to look at the massive armor move towards him, and that just angers him further.

"**HULK WILL CRUSH YOU!**" He bellows as he runs at the Spartan.

"Bring it." Was the calm reply, as he too charges at him.

Throughout the battle the heroes in the Albatross watch the struggle and are amazed at the sheer brutality of it, Hulk is fighting like a man possessed, he punches and kicks the larger foe, while the Spartan counters with precision sometimes using the beast's strength against him, and they clearly see the Spartan is not pulling his punches, it is not pretty or clean, he is fighting to win.

Many thoughts were running through their heads at that moment.

She-Hulk and Sue were wishing it would end already, one out of a family bond the other because of her kind nature, Hulk was getting torn to shreds and the Spartan was fighting wounded, how they could keep going in the face of such odds were mind boggling.

Warbird and Captain America were more concerned with the fight itself, it was clear the Spartan was fighting to win by any means, it was a few steps short of a war, but from what they could see he was using that suit as it was an extension of his own body.

Ben, Johnny, Hawkeye, Wonderman and Spider-man were cheering every blow the Spartan gave and winced when the Hulk struck, even as high as they were there blows were shaking the air itself.

The scientists were looking at the suit and what it was doing.

"That not possible, a suit that size would rip itself apart at those speeds, the stress alone would kill whoever is inside of it." Ironman says out loud as he sees the mobility and speed of the exosuit.

"I'm no expert like you, but their also the temperature issues as well." Pym asks as he leans on the wall clutching his knee, the Commander had already administered a shot of pseudo morphine to lessen the pain and gave him some bandages to tie it up.

"Right, it must have some kind of coolant to prevent that, but I wonder what he is using to prevent the vibrations from affecting him." Reed added though he winced when he saw the Hulk rip out the missile launcher.

"Looks like things are about to finish." Wonderman said making everyone focus on the climax.

Indeed both fighters were a fair distance away, and both look ready to fall.

The Hulk had several lacerations, stabs and cuts, his arm was no longer broken but bruised and cut, he had a gash over his head, his left knee was twitching from a heavy blow he took, he was healing but it was slow and he looked like he was ready to keel over, which is saying much about how hard the Spartan has fought to beat him.

The Spartan and his suit weren't in any better condition, the Hulk had managed to damage or outright destroy his weaponry, his minigun's rotary mechanism was bent, and his M6 damaged by a lucky punch, his missile launcher had been ripped off.

The only thing not damaged was the cannon and his combat blades; he didn't dare use the M68 for fear of missing and being left a sitting duck, so he had his blades out.

Then there was the armor, it was dented and fractured but still held, a testament into the work went into creating it, the visor had a hairline fracture but still withstood the assaults.

John however was battered by all the blows; the shock absorbers diffused much of the strength in the hits, still his muscles were in terrible pain, according to Cortana's last read out he had torn several muscle ligaments and muscle trauma, and his bruises on his chest hampered his breathing, the nanites were trying their best to keep him stable hence they stop providing him painkillers and focused on healing.

The only reason he was still fighting was his incredible will and determination hence he blocked out all the pain and focused solely on winning this battle.

John and the Hulk stared at each for what seemed like a millennium, until finally they charged each other.

Hulk duck under a knife slice from the left side and threw a right uppercut to the sternum, followed by a left cross that spun the Spartan, however John tried a backhand swing, which missed but then used the momentum to use a roundhouse kick with his right, this managed to catch the Hulk square in the face.

John uses this time to quickly deliver a right left punch combo followed upper slash, Hulk takes the two blows and the sidesteps the slash to grabbed the large appendage and with a chop makes him released the large blade, then back hand the Spartan away.

Hulk now picks up the discarded weapon as a sword; John sees this and curses for losing hold of his weapon.

The sound of metal striking metal is soon heard, Hulk has power on his side while John has better training and experience.

Hulk makes his move by rushing in weapon held high for an overhead strike, John deflects the strike but this is want Hulk plans as he turns with the blow and soon rams the knife into the left shoulder of the armor.

John moves as fast as possible but the blade manages to cut into the MJOLNIR's shoulder and slice past the armor and deep enough it touches his bone though not breaking it thanks to the enhancements.

John can barely move the arm with the blade still there so he backs off and, though painful pulls it out, spilling some blood as he does so, biofoam injectors already working to seal and disinfect the wound.

"_John! You have end this now!_" Cortana yells as she can no longer tolerate his abuse.

John agrees and soon the adrenaline has him entering Spartan time.

John rushes in and begins to beat the hell out of the Hulk.

He throws his remaining knife as a distraction and runs behind it.

Hulk evades the knife but not the left hook to the body.

Follows with a right straight to the face breaking his nose.

Hulk tries a left cross, but John grabs the arm breaks it ramming his forearm to the giants elbow.

Hulk bellows in pain, and goes for a kick, John grabs the leg pulls it up hard enough to tear a muscle and punches his groin, that earned a lot of winces for the men on board the Albatross.

To end this John grabs him in a bear hug and activates his thrusters and shoots off with his opponent.

At an altitude of 80 ft he lets go and as the Hulk falls he dives down below him and grabs his waist and accelerates until finally.

"BOOOOOM!"

The Albatross soon lands near the crater that comes about from the monumental power bomb just delivered onto the Hulk.

At the lead is the Commander who is fearful for her friend, followed by the heroes.

They arrived and stop at the sight, the Hulk is on his back breathing but unconscious, clearly the damage to great even for him, the exoarmor is also on its back a few feet from the Hulk, the canopy hiss open and out stumbles out.

"Chief!" Keyes yells as she runs down the crater and goes to him, she is followed by some of the more medically inclined heroes, in this case Reed, Sue, and with the help of Ironman, Pym the others standing watch.

"Good God! Can you believe he beat the Hulk!" Hawkeye asks out loud to no one in particular.

"Yeah, but look at him, he looks worse than I did after my rumble without the Hulkbuster armor." Ironman spoke as he looked at the Spartan battered form.

Soon however their attention was broken as several Pelican dropships appeared; once they landed they released oddly shaped robots that began to com the battlefield for wreckage of the armor and weapons related to the UNSC soldier.

Eight headed for them, or more precisely towards the UNSC crew.

Keyes saw them and receives a signal from the Dawn on the private com.

"_Commander Keyes, I apologize if this breaks protocol, but I decided that we should collect anything that could be analyzed and from the battle as well as help retrieve the suit and its operator._" Redeeming spoke.

"You did well; he needs medical attention fast so have the med bay prepped." She spoke as the Sentinels activated beams that picked up the suit and the Spartan, much to the surprise of the heroes and slowly made their way towards the Albatross.

"_It is already done, also I suggest you hurry, SHIELD will be approaching to restrain the Hulk, and also question the Reclaimer, I must inform you that several satellites were monitoring the battle, I believe they are connected to this Dr. Doom, what should I do with them?_" he asks.

"Blow them out of the sky, and make sure to scan the vehicles in case he has us tagged." She replied as she followed the machines carrying the Spartan.

"_Understood, Commander._" The Forerunner A.I said before cutting off communications.

"Excuse me miss?" Reed asks to gain her attention.

"Yes Dr. Richards."

"Will he be all right?" Reed asks in regards to the Spartan.

"Hopefully, once I get him towards our medical facilities he should be, now if you'll excuse us we must leave before SHIELD arrives." She spoke.

"But we have so many questions about you." The scientist says as he is curious about their advanced technology, the others sharing similar thoughts.

"And the answer will come when we are ready, right now I have an injured man to help, and you must make sure the Hulk does not wake up to cause more destruction." She spoke as she boarded the dropship and headed to the cockpit.

The ships soon lifted off and rose high into the air, the heroes watching them as they did until the arrival of the SHIELD squad came and together they made sure the Hulk did not resume his activities.

_In castle Doom, Latveria…_

"Damn!" The tyrant known as Doctor Doom yells as he sees another of his satellites disappear soon after the resolution of the Hulks battle with the Spartan.

What also anger him are the homing beacons and bugs have been discovered easily and shut down.

As he sat on his throne he reviewed the battle and he gave the man his respect for achieving something so few had done in many years, defeating the Hulk.

His impressive weaponry, his tactics his resolve showed him that this Spartan was worthy of it, still…

"**You may have bested the Hulk Spartan, but Doom shall learn the secrets you and your companion hold, none may deny me.**" He thought.

He wasn't the only one curious about the Spartan.

_SHIELD Hellicarrier…_

Nick Fury was also reviewing the battle the Avengers witnessed, thankful for Ironman recording it for latter study, and was impressed by the soldier's actions, he knew he had to be a soldier, his moves clearly showed training.

Still there many questions, he needed the answers to.

The reports he had got from the South America op, showed he had no love for terrorists, his treatment of criminals showed he would cross the line the others wouldn't, and this latest action proved he had a lot of high power tech and would not back down from anyone.

He hopes he can get a one on one meeting with the man, maybe get him to enlist, anyone who can take on the Hulk and win is someone who definitely deserves to be in SHIELD.

Doom and Fury were not the only ones with interest in the UNSC group, since the battle was televised by means of witnesses recording it; many were now on the lookout for them, hoping to obtain their knowledge and technology whether for good or evil.

To be continued…

A/N: Well here it is, hope I did it justice, because it was a nightmare I tell you, there is absolutely no spec designs on the Cyclops, not even on waypoint, so I winged it, from the Ironman look, the prototype and the MJOLNIR.

The next problem was keeping the fight balanced enough, hope I achieve this, I was mostly thinking of the fights scenes in The Incredible Hulk movie as I wrote this (Not that piss poor Ang Lee movie, god I wanted to kill myself for getting my hopes up with that piece of crap).

The MJOLNIR will get a couple of upgrades such as that shield manipulation in the Halsey Journal, and possibly some repulsors for additional firepower to balance out his close range blades, which will be turned into plasma based, like in the DC version.

I haven't decided if I should have them investigate the murder of Karen's mom, thus getting him closer to the girl or have him reveal his origins and have Keyes give Doom a verbal smack down, I'll take suggestions.

On another note I shall reinforce a comment I made on my DC story, Carol and Jen are NOT sleeping together it was a JOKE, not fact I am still getting E-mails from that.

I´m also thinking that John and Miranda should mentor X-23, technically he does share the aspect of a living weapon, if only that he was bred to be a perfect soldier, yet unlike Laura who lost anyone who got close to her, he had them backing him up all the way, so he partially relates to her, plus I want to see him fry that bitch Kimura.

I think I´ll finish the GL arc in my DC story then come back to this one before I move on to my Ghost Rider story, once all my stories are at 7 I will resume with my Darkstalkers fic, and quite possibly two new stories one being a BTVS cross.

And if Freedom Guard if reading this, when you do come back, is there a chance you will continue the Castlevania/DOA cross? I was quite interested by the concept.

Well I leave you with this chapter and its reception if you like it or not, hope you do peace out.


	7. Chapter 7

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

A/N: I should warn you now it is exposition and partially the same as the DC version, so turn back now while you still can.

Chapter 6

_A week and a half after the battle with the Hulk…_

After the showdown that took place between the Hulk and the Spartan many of the citizens of New York wondered what happened to the armored hero, some praying for his safety and well being.

The story was still running on news networks and papers all looking at the story from different angles, radio shows sent out the people's messages of praise and hoped he was all right.

Many members in the government and military were having their people look for him in hopes of finding him and either enlist him or make a grab for his technology.

Terrorist groups had alerts out for his capture.

The heroes were also wondering the same as the public, those who had witnessed the battle especially, the fact that he took a beating from the Hulk and get up for more and win had some still reeling.

_Avengers Mansion…_

Inside the war room several prominent members where looking at the footage taken from the battle.

"_**HULK WILL CRUSH YOU!**_"

"_Bring it._"

"Freeze." Ironman speaks as the voice activated monitor does so, just as both the machine and the Hulk have their right fist raised and poised to strike.

"Verily it must have been a magnificent battle to witness, worthy of songs in the halls of Valhalla." The Norse God of Thunder, Thor spoke.

"So true old friend, this man clearly is worthy to be called a Spartan, I would very much like to share a drink with such a man." Hercules, son of Zeus adds.

Both men had regretted not being there for their friends when Doom enacted his plan or bear witness to the battle, both vowed that should they encounter the despot they would have more than words with him.

"Are you nuts?" Janet asks as she cannot believe they would call that beat down, for lack of a better word, magnificent.

"The guy was literally beaten to a bloody pulp, how he could still fight in that condition is beyond me." The Wasp finishes.

The two had the good manners to not make a rebuttal, they sometimes forgot that mortals of today don´t see things the way they do.

"Jan has a point there guys that man was in awful shape when he climbed out of that walking tank." Hawkeye adds to his friends point.

"We merely meant to give praise to the warrior´s fighting prowess, to do battle with the Hulk and claim victory from him is no small feat." Hercules says to all.

"Yeah well I got hand it to him, with the exception of you guys, Ben and Wolverine, I don´t think I have ever seen anyone go toe to toe with Banner and beat him, not even you Tony." Clint says as he eyes the image.

"I hate to say it but your right, hell even when I took him on in the mark III didn´t make so much as a dent as this guy with his weapons; he survived a close range pounding by him and his Exo suit did a lot more damage to him than my Hulkbuster." The billionaire inventor spoke.

"Are you jealous of his toys?" Jen asks him with a smile.

"W-what?"

"Well come on, you and the other egg heads who saw the fight have been going on and on about his guns, his armor and all his other stuff, I figure you are just dying to get your hands on some of it and give your armor a major tune up." She concludes and the others turn to look to him and see what his answer is.

"I will…admit I do find his armor impressive as well as the technology he and his companion have at their disposal, but you make it sound like I want to hijack it or something."

"Hey I´m just saying if you ask him nicely he may be willing to share." The gamma mutant spoke.

"No, I don´t think he would, in fact he may not react well to anyone attempting to take it by force." Cpt. America said suddenly from his spot, gaining everyone's attention.

"Why do you say that Captain?" The Black Panther asks his friend and teammate.

"When me, Susan and Reed were taking him to his friend's vessel for help, Sue suggested he go to a hospital, he woke up just in time to hear that, and said no hospitals…" He pauses to see everyone pay attention and waiting for him to go on.

"…Then he asks to unlock the armor, he gets up don´t ask me how and asks if the woman in the BDU brought the suit only he can use, then he asks someone called Cortana if the armor will hold up so he can finish the fight and to our surprise a woman´s voice is heard and tells him it can but she is more worried for his safety and goes so far to ask how is he even standing up, he te…"

"Wait! Back up there Steve…" Tony interrupts "…you said he asks to unlock the armor?"

"Yes, why is it important?"

"I don´t know but it could explain how he survived the charge, this also means there is a third member we haven´t seen yet, possibly some sort of external operator."

"Forget that! I want to hear the rest of the story, so what does he say Cap?" Carol asks as she is enthralled by the tale, just as much as the others.

"He says with a will and a prayer, and I believed him, that man was not going to stop until he won, by any means necessary."

"You mean?" Jen asks already knowing the answer.

"He was prepared to kill the Hulk to prevent him from reaching the city and hurting innocent civilians, but that´s not what worries me." Rogers says.

"What could possibly worry you more than a guy willing to kill the Hulk!" Clint asks in surprise at the man´s last statement.

"It was the feelings I got when he said it, he truly believed he could do it there was no doubt or hesitation in his voice, he said it was going to be a last resort, but if he hadn´t stopped him he would have killed him even if he died with the Hulk"

"He was relentless in his assault, you all saw how he came out of the suit, he was a bloody mess, the left shoulder was crimson were the Hulk stabbed him, and he was still fighting through what I can only guess was an obscene amount of pain, I don´t think any one of us with the exception of Thor or Hercules could do that."

All of them were silent at that, some looking at the monitor and wondering if they were capable of the feat he pulled off.

After the meeting all the heroes separated many with thoughts in regards to what they had just heard, two Avengers in particular were thinking about the Spartan.

Jen was currently in her room, she lay on her bead thinking about the Cpt. Words regarding how far the man would go to prevent innocents from being killed, her toughts were interrupted by a someone at her door.

"Jen, you in there?" Carol asks.

"Yeah, come in its open."

"You seem like you got a lot on your mind, you want to talk about it?" Warbird asks her friend.

"It´s about what Steve said back there about how far John would have gone to stop Bruce."

"Are you angry at him for being willing to kill him?" the blonde asks that knowing it is a likely probability, blood is thicker than water after all, however her friends answer surprises her.

"That´s just it, I´m not as much as I should be." Jen replies as she gets up and sees the look of surprise her friend´s face.

"I know, but when I went to visit Bruce at the facility they got him in, he was watching the video of the fight, if you can call it that."

"I asked him if he was okay, you know regular chit chat to get his mind of what happen with Doom, he just told me he was sorry for what happened and asked me if the Spartan was okay, I told him honestly that we didn´t know where he was but he probably made it, Bruce nodded and he just said that he was glad someone was willing to go that far to stop him."

"I never understood what he meant until know, I think he was glad someone was willing to kill the Hulk if it meant he would never be used as someone´s weapon or cause more chaos." She finishes clearly disturbed by what she heard.

Carol sits next to her and gives her a hug, many don´t realize that despite their powers they are still people who can suffer the same emotional stress as others.

In Carol´s case this was more as she had suffered a lot in her heroic career, from alien tortures to rape, it was a heavy burden to carry so she sometimes took it upon herself to make sure others did not go through the same baggage she does.

"Are you afraid he might do something to himself?"

"No, he has had plenty of time but he never does, which I ´m thankful for, despite all the Hulk has done he is still family, which is why it hurts that he goes through so much pain and loneliness when it´s not his fault he became that way."

"..."

"Maybe…maybe John can help him." Carol suddenly speaks up, making her friend look at her with a quizzical expression.

"I don´t follow."

"Well if he is okay, and I'm pretty sure he is, don´t know why but I do, he has lots of really advanced tech that may be able to help him control or get rid of the Hulk."

"But we would have to find him first Carol, I mean we looked at his office and his home, him and this "sister" of his weren´t there." Jennifer replies.

"Oh yeah…"

"Sigh, listen I think he´s okay too, he´s just getting himself fixed up, once he comes back we come clean with him and ask if he can do anything."

"Yeah…" the blonde replies before coming up with a funny idea "…then I can ask him out."

"What! Oh hell no! I saw him first you…ah crap!" The emerald Amazon speaks up as she realizes she walk right into that one.

"Ha ha ha, you should have seen your face!" Warbird laughs as the other woman pouts.

"Just for that one I will ask him out first!"

"Yeah, yeah but I get to ask if he says no or after you get your shot." Carol says as she gets up and heads for the door.

"Hey Carol?"

"Yeah Jen?"

"Thanks for the talk I needed that." She smiles as she thanks her.

"Hey what are friends for." The blonde smiles in return and shrugs before leaving.

Unknown to the super heroines the man they spoke was currently safe on board the vessel that brought him and his companions to this reality.

_Frigate Forward Unto Dawn, currently orbiting dark side of the moon under cloak…_

John was currently at the holographic firing range they had set up for him to practice, what made this section unique was the use of hard light technology that withstood the impacts of the bullets and plasma bolts he fired when using Covenant or UNSC tech.

He was currently testing himself as means to check if he was a hundred percent after the week he spent in the med bay of the Dawn, though he had regained consciousness after day four, the Commander and Cortana had insisted under penalty of being strapped down to the bed for the rest of the week.

Of course having torn multiple muscles in his pectorals, abdominal region, arms and legs, a ruptured spleen and a stab wound that managed to cut him to his metal covered bone were just cause, if not for the nanites in his body he would have died due to internal hemorrhaging long before his friends got him on board the Dawn.

After the allotted healing time he got back to training much to the protest of his companions to make up for his inactive period.

"I see you decided to test your marksmen skills today."Commander Keyes said as she walked on him finishing up his training.

"Hello Ms. Keyes, yes I felt that after making sure my physical abilities were up to par I should focus on my hand eye coordination." He spoke as he turned to the screen above the target that showed 100% hit ratio.

"I wish you would call me by name when we aren´t in public John, we´re friends aren´t we?" She asks with a little irritation.

"I apologize…Miranda, it is a habit I never practice much even with Jo…Avery, but then again outside of the Spartans I had few friends." He said in a voice that betrayed nothing.

"Sigh, I know that, I just sometimes forget that you and the others aren´t like the rest of humanity, but if and when we return you´re going to need these social skills, not all of us make our lives in the military a priority, like that woman you told me about what was her name Maria…?"

"Maria-062, yes she was wounded in combat and therefore unable to continue in active duty, however Dr. Halsey told me she made sure that all our equipment was field tested before use in the field, and she also found time to start a family."

"You never did tell how that happened." She spoke as she was curious about it, because who would go out with a woman who could break a man in half if she got angry at him.

"**Hell how did they date?**" She thought.

"Actually none of us ever got the full story, she would occasionally see us when we were in the area and one day she tells us she was with someone, we of course took in stride, though we were curious about the man who was willing to have a relationship with one of us." He replied.

"That must have been a shock to many people, you guys were pretty intimidating, but I guess you were trained to be that way."

"That's true Miranda, but then again human behavior was never really our forte, even Teams Grey and Black, the infiltration units never really embraced those aspects even though they were trained to do so." Cortana speaks as her avatar appears on a nearby holo tank.

"I guess that' makes sense, but anyway back on topic what happened to her afterwards." Keyes asks.

"Well while we were stationed on Reach, prepping for the operation to capture a Prophet I and the others received a letter stating she was engaged and wanted us to come along with Chief Mendez, she wanted the Chief to give her away and for us to be there, me in particular."

"Wow, what did CPO Mendez think?"

"We never got a chance to ask as the Covenant came to wipe us out."

"Oh I see, sigh guess the war really put a kink on everyone's plans huh?"

"Perhaps but at least she was safe and we all wished her a happy life." Was the Spartan's response.

Afterwards the both headed to the cantina for lunch, she got a pot roast, with a side order of green beans and steamed carrots, and the Chief got a Steak, well done, with a side order of mashed potatoes and peas and carrots, Cortana was there as well.

"I have been meaning to ask, but while I was indisposed was there any progress in Karen's case?" John asks as he thinks back to the little girl he met the day the attack occurred.

Miranda had gotten the details afterwards after they had stabilized him after the battle, she was just as outraged as Cortana was about the treatment the little girl got from the gas attendant, and of course she did do something about it.

In this case she rode all the way to the man's home, when he answered the door she delivered a quick kick to his groin with as much strength behind it she could muster, she left him on the ground with him whimpering why over and over, she just walked back to her Mongoose turned back and told him…

"You know why you racist son of a bitch!" before she got on board and left, that was their little secret, no need to bother the Chief with it.

"Not much I'm afraid, the police report classified it as just another homicide, and Karen's was just another missing child, no one even bothered to look for clues this could mean several things." Cortana spoke, followed by Miranda.

"Police don't care about a mutant sympathizer and her mutant child, they've been paid off, or the culprits were good at disposing of anything that might link them to the crime scene." She finishes.

"Let's focus on the more obvious choice first, which groups could possibly have a hand in the murder of a mother who wouldn't give away her child?"

"The only clandestine group to have means and motive would be the Church of Humanity, the successor of the Friends of Humanity." Cortana says as she brings up images of both the past and present groups actions.

"The first was established by a Graydon Creed, a man who ironically enough was the son of two notorious mutant terrorists, Victor Creed AKA Sabertooth and Raven Darkholme AKA Mystique, it was the latter who finally murdered him."

"What! His own mother killed him?" Miranda says in shock.

"Trust me her file is filled to the brim with skeletons, she is also the mother of Kurt Wagner AKA Nightcrawler and Ann Marie AKA Rogue, the first by blood and the other as a step-daughter, both of them X-men."

"Bet that left a bitter taste in her eyes."

"Will get back to her in a moment, now the FoH had amassed quite the large number of followers, resources that bordered on high military grade and technological, and by this I mean the mutant hunting killing machines called Sentinels." She spoke as she showed several images of the killer robots.

"Disgusting, I can't believe they made those things" Keyes says, John silently agreeing.

"Once Creed was eliminated the group was leaderless for a while, until this man Reverend William Stryker, a former military man, came and turned it into a militaristic sect, his whereabouts are unknown but his ideals and followers are still present."

"Will start looking into them when I get a chance, I forgot to ask but does Karen have any assets that are to be left to her?" John asks is partner.

"As a matter of fact she does, her mother had a life insurance policy to her name in case anything occurred to her, she had it written up several months before the murder so they company can't claim this is a fraud, however they are playing hard ball since Xavier's school is a mutant school and thus high risk, it doesn't help any living relatives don't want her because of her status, hence unless she gets a legal guardian they won't pay." Cortana finishes sadly.

"God what is wrong with these people!" The Commander speaks in outrage.

"I don't know, still I would like to see if we can help her, I made a promise and I intend to keep it…" John spoke with conviction "…this battle is out of my field, but maybe we need outside help, according to the files we have, Daredevil and She-Hulk are lawyers maybe they can…" He stopped when he saw both the A.I and the Commander look away.

"About She-Hulk, John we may have a problem." Cortana spoke.

"Two days after the Hulk battle, she and Carol Danvers went to the office, the security measures I left active revealed something unexpected." She adds as he shows her images stamped two days after the battle.

"_No one's here either._" The voice of Jennifer showing his irritation.

"_What did you expect Jen? He took on the Hulk by himself and got pounded on._" Her companion spoke.

"_I know that, but is he okay? That's all I want to know, I mean we all saw him leave a broken mess, ugh this all Doom's fault!_" She yells.

"_You don't have to tell me twice, the guy's a psycho who gets his jollies from being an ass, look let' just go and wait tomorrow for any news, we can talk him about everything when he shows up._"

"_All right, but I just feel so terrible, we should have helped him instead of watching him and Bruce go at each other's throats like animals._" The large woman said in a depressed tone while her friend nodded as they began to walk away.

"_I know, trust me I know._"

The images ended there, and both turned to look for him and found him with his eyebrows slightly raised a show of his surprise.

"How?" was all he asked.

"We don't know, but it would appear they are the only ones to figure that you're the Spartan, I had both Redeeming and Cortana monitor their phone calls and interactions with their team mates, they have kept it too themselves." Keyes replied.

"Why would they do that?" He asked in a truly perplexed manner.

"Well…they appear to be… attracted to you." She replied bluntly.

If anything that statement caused him to widen his eyes slightly more.

"Why John, who knew you were such a babe magnet." Cortana says as she tries not to laugh.

"This isn't funny Cortana." He stares at her with a deadpanned look to her, finally breaking her resolve and making burst out laughing.

"It is a little John." She says as she finally gets control of herself.

"Anyway, I have thought it over and I believe the time has come to reveal our presence and intentions." The Commander spoke.

"If that is what you believe Commander then I shall abide by your orders, how shall we approach them?" John asks while going through various scenarios.

"We should bring them up here to the Dawn since it is here we can prove our story, as for who should come I think we should leave that to hem as a show of good faith, of course we'll have to make certain sections of the Dawn remain in lockdown during the visit as well as secure the battle net."

"Very well, when should we contact them?"

"At the end of the week, by the way what is the status of his armor Cortana?"

"Actually it's still in the repair ward by the end of the week it should be operational, however we wish to give it an upgrade, boost its capabilities in case we run into a similar situation."

"I see, can you handle that Chief?" She asks knowing full the Spartans habit of staying out of the armor.

"If it means the armor will get a boost then go for it, I'll just use the ODST'S BDU should I require it."

"All right it's decided then, in the mean time we should get back to Earth, before people start to think we're dead or something." She spoke.

"Actually Commander I was planning on visiting Xavier's, I did tell Karen I would." The Spartan spoke as he thought of the little girl.

"That's a great idea Chief! Can I come with? I've been dying to meet her." Keyes asks as she wondered about who could garner such a reaction from the Chief.

"I see no harm, however be careful around Frost; she doesn't appear to quite trusting of normal's and has no qualms about using her powers for whatever she deems a threat."

"Got it Chief." She said, before they both turn to get cleaned up before visiting her.

_Several hours later…_

Both He and Miranda soon stopped before the gates of the institute in the Hog, the Commander having bought a Teddy Bear for the girl.

"_Hello and welcome to Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters, how may we help you?_"

"It's John Mendez I came to visit a student, I am accompanied by my sister."

"_Mr. Mendez how nice of you to visit us once more, just one moment while the gate opens, just go in and someone shall be waiting for you both._"

They drove to the front of the mansion and walked in, and just like he remembered many children were about, some carrying books and others just lounging around, many turning to look at the newcomers, however a woman came into view and headed for them.

She was light tanned, black hair tied in a braided ponytail, with a feather in her hair, she wore a vest with a yellow shirt underneath with tassels and beads and blue jeans, from her well toned arms she worked out a lot.

"Hello there, I'm Danielle Moonstar, one of the teacher's here." She spoke as she held out her hand..

"Hello I'm John Mendez Halsey." He said as she shook her hand.

"Pleasure John, guys have told me about you and how you helped that little girl." She spoke as she got a good look at him.

"**The girls were right he is a looker.**" She thought before looking at Miranda.

"Hello I'm Miranda Keyes Halsey, I'm his sister, well half-sister actually." She spoke as she shook the hand.

"It's nice to meet you; we get so few visitors of the non powered variety here." She spoke.

"I'll bet, how is Karen doing?" He asks her.

"Oh fine, she is getting along well with many of the students here, though she was rather down lately, I'm guessing it has something to do with you."

"I promised I'd visit, however I got sent to the hospital during a case that was a bit more than what we expected." He replied.

"Oh I'm sorry, are you all right now?" Mirage asks with concern.

"It was nothing major, just some bruises at the most, though it did require I stay under observation for a week, and another to get some rest, i just got cleared today and decided to visit, my sister decided she wanted to meet Karen so here we are."

"Bruises he says, you're lucky to be alive after that beating you took, guy was built like a tank." Miranda adds for levity.

"Oh my, that bad huh?" She asks.

"Worst I've seen in my life and trust me I have seen a lot with this knuckle head."

"Well the important thing is you're all right now and that you kept your word, I believe Karen is in computer class right now, if wish we can go there right now." Dani offers the duo.

"If it isn't too much of a bother Danielle." He replies.

"It's no bother at all, and please call me Dani, all my friends do." She smiled as she said that and led them towards the second floor.

"Only if you call me John and her Miranda." He replied.

"Deal…John." And with that they both made their way towards the room, once there they saw through the glass windows that class was still in session and that it was Kitty Pryde who taught the students there.

"It shouldn't be long now, let me just go in so she can ask Karen too stay be right back." She said as she knocked before poking her head in then entering.

"You know you'd hardly believe this school houses a superhero team, these kids act just like anyone if they give them a chance." Miranda commented as they waited.

"I wouldn't know about that, but I am glad that she is in good hands." He replied to which she nodded.

She started to back away when the door was opening when she bumped into someone.

"Oh I do beg your pardon miss." A cultured voice spoke.

"Oh no problem…my… fault." She stopped as she looked at the person.

He was fairly large and muscular, dressed in a white lab coat over an ensemble that would make him fit in with a College level school teacher, except he was blue furred and had feline features; this was Hank McCoy, or Beast when out on the field.

"I take it this is your first time at the Institute?" He said with mirth.

Realizing she was staring at the man, her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"I am so sorry, I should not have stared like that it was incredibly rude of me." She said with shame clearly written on her face.

He chuckles at that, actually he was glad most people tended to either glare or dismiss him.

"No harm done, it is rare for someone not to act harshly to my presence."

"I see you guys met Hank." Dani said as she stepped outside.

"More like bump into one another, Henry McCoy at your service." He said as held out his furred hand; however it was his turn to be surprised by how easily the pale man took it.

"John Mendez Halsey." He replied as he shook his hand.

"Miranda Keyes Halsey." She spoke as she offered her and he took it.

"Ah so you're the man Storm spoke so highly off, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, I must say your thoughts on the difference between enhanced humans and mutants have given much material in my social studies class." The man spoke.

"Well it was an honest opinion on the state of affairs, but I am glad it has helped you, hopefully it will aid you in your objective of bridging the gap."

"Oh believe me it has left an impression on some of the students, now if I may, what brings you by today?" Beast asks.

"They're here to visit Karen, the little girl Alex told us about." Dani replied for both of them.

"Ah yes, I was hoping to talk to her for the sake of determining if her mutation is only in appearance or if it was also physical in nature."

"Pardon the interruption what is difference?" Miranda asks.

"Well if it only changed her appearance than we can give her a standard aid in coping with her change, however if she has any additional aspects say for example, increased strength, we must have her trained so she can interact with others without harming them by accident." The scientist replied to her question.

"I think I can vouch for her and say she is stronger than your average ten year old." John intervened.

"Oh how did you find this out Mr. Mendez?"

"Please call me John, and I found out when we first met, I asked her to hold onto me when we rode her on my bike, she felt stronger than I would expect."

"Will have to test her for sure, but thank you for this information, it shall aid us in better accommodating her needs."

"RRRIIIING!"

"There's the bell, Karen will be waiting inside, and I'll just wait out here." Dani spoke.

"Thank you we won't take long."

Both went inside as the last of the students came out and Kitty was seen talking to her, she had black jeans and a pink jacket on, she carried a Hello Kitty back pack on, she had her back to them as she did.

"Hello Karen." John said making her turn swiftly.

"John!" she yelled happily as she ran to him.

He kneels to one leg and she hugs him tightly.

"**She definitely has above average strength.**" He thought as she released him.

"Where were you? I was waiting for you to visit." She says to him.

"Well I got hurt for a while and the Doctors told me I had to rest, and that is why I couldn't come to see you." He explained.

"Are you better now?" She asks with some worry.

"Yes I am, now Karen I brought someone who wanted to see you, she's my sister her names Miranda." He said to her as he moved and Miranda knelt down and held out her hand.

"Hello Karen, I heard about what happened, I'm sorry for your mom, she seemed like a good person." She said softly to the girl.

"Thank you." She said just as softly as she shook her hand.

"Here I brought you a gift." Miranda held out the bear to her.

"For me?"

"Yes, I think you deserve it for being a brave girl, besides you're John's friend and that makes you my friend too."

"Wow! Thank you so much!" She spoke elated at the gift as she hugged it, bringing a smile to everyone's face.

"Karen, you have to hurry to your next class or Mr. Logan may get angry." Kitty spoke.

"Eep! I have to go now!" She spoke as she ran out of the room with her gift dodging the adults as she did.

"Let me guess Gym class?" Miranda asks with humor.

"Nah, we aren't that evil, he teaches a self defense class twice every week, we signed her up last week, we can't take chances with the children's lives."

"Smart move." John spoke as he watched the place where she stood.

"So about you stay for lunch?" She invited.

"Can't, we have something we have to deal with at the moment." She spoke out loud "**Like telling you and others we come from an alternate universe.**"

"Aw too bad? I'm sure Karen would love to spend more time with you."

"**Not to mention Rachel, Betsy and Ororo would like to ogle John more.**" She thought as she remembered how they looked at him.

"Us too, but here…" She said as she pulled out a business card and wrote down some extra numbers.

"This is the phone number for our home, cell phones and office; please give it to her so she can call whenever she wants to talk." Keyes says as she hands over the card.

"I will, let me escort you out." Kat said as she led them out of the room and into the hall with Dani and Hank waiting there for them.

"You done?" she asked.

"Oh sorry for the wait just had to talk with them before they left."

"So soon?" Dani says with a bit of disappointment.

"I'm afraid so, we have something big coming up, but afterwards you can expect us back since we are working on her case, we don't have much to work on right now but hopefully that will change."

"I see if you require our assistance do not hesitate to ask." Beast said as he had heard of the girl's misfortune.

"We will, until then it has been a pleasure meeting you all." She replied.

"No the pleasure was ours." He replied.

They soon said their goodbyes, though the mutant heroes were unaware of the fact that their next meeting would change them in many ways.

_The next day, Avengers Mansion…_

Everything was calm at the base of the heroes when all of a sudden an urgent communication arrives from SHIELD.

At the war room Cpt. America and Ironman as well as Thor, Wasp, Warbird, Tygra, Yellowjacket, She-Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Panther were with them.

"What's the emergency guys?" Jen asks the two men.

"Got a hit on the mainframe, Fury wants to have a chat." Ironman replied.

"What does the paranoid nut want now?" Clint says in exasperation.

"_World peace and a better dental plan Barton._" The image of the director of SHIELD spoke on the screen; next to him was Black Widow her hand covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh at the archer.

"…you had him on hold all time didn't you Stark?" Clint asks annoyed and embarrassed.

Beneath the faceplate he can be seen gloating.

"What is it Coronel?" Steve asks.

"_Got an interesting message from your friend the Spartan, yes he's alive and he wants to talk to you, the Fantastic Four and the X-men._" He spoke.

Carol and Jen give a sigh of relief at the news.

"Really, I wonder what he wishes to say." Tony asks out loud.

"_Only one way to find out._"

"All right I'll get them on the line, but how will he know?" the armored avenger asks.

"_I think he'll know regardless._" Fury replied as he lit a cigar.

After a few minutes of explaining did the people appeared on screen.

The Four were complete and waiting while the X-men had Rachel, Cyclops, Emma Frost, Logan and Beast.

They all waited patiently until…

"Incoming signal." Steve spoke as he eyed the console, the others the same.

The next image showed the Spartan in the Helljumper CQC BDU.

"_Greetings to you all._"

"_Who are you stranger?_" Reed asks.

"_Apologies, my armor is currently in for repairs and I am forced to use this BDU as a replacement, I am Spartan-117._" John spoke seriously.

"What is it you wish to discuss with us?" T'challa asked the man.

"_I and my companions believe it is time for us to meet face to face, and explain about us to you._" He replied surprising some of the heroes.

"I see, and where and when do you wish to make this meeting?" Steve asks on behalf of the group.

"_Tomorrow at noon if it's acceptable and I shall bring you to our base of operations; we shall let you choose the rendezvous site for pick up as well as the number of people you wish to bring._" He explained to the groups who chattered among themselves.

"_I think those terms are reasonable, we accept._" Reed said

"_As do we._" Cyclops spoke for his team.

"_Since I want to be in on this, you can use the Hellicarrier as a pick up site._" Fury said.

"Then we accept we shall meet you there Spartan."

"_Then until tomorrow then, and before we forget please inform Spider-man of this meeting, since he was the first to make contact with us and relay our original message..._" He spoke before cutting off communications.

"_Well boys and girls this should be interesting._" Fury said to all many agreeing with him.

_The next day, noon high above New York on board the Hellicarrier…_

The groups of heroes stood on board the flight deck of the flying airship awaiting the one who called for them.

From the X-men there stood Storm, Cyclops, Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Frost, Iceman, Marvel Girl, Shadowcat, Beast and Psylocke.

The entire Fantastic Four were there along with Spider-man.

From the Avengers, Cpt. America, Ironman, Thor, Hercules, Wasp, Hawkeye, She-Hulk, Warbird, Tygra and Black Widow.

Fury was among them dressed in a trench coat and fully armed, despite being told that if the Spartan wished harm he would have done something by now, still old habits and all.

All were patiently waiting when one of the operatives manning the radar spotted a blip on the screen and alerted the head of the organization through speakers.

"_Director, unknown object approaching from the west, trajectory suggest it is heading towards us, at it current rate it shall by within visual range in approximately 10 minutes, orders sir?_"

"Ironman can you spot it from here." The Coronel asks.

"On it."

"Computer maximum magnification."

"…acknowledged."

He soon spotted the object and realized it was the same dropship from before.

"It's him guys." He spoke to everyone.

"Stand down people, it's our host fro the evening." He ordered the personnel.

The Albatross soon landed on the flight deck with a loud clang, facing away from the group..

"Got to say, the man has some impressive equipment." Fury spoke as he got a close up view of the heavy dropship.

"That he does Coronel." Rogers said as he and the others stood next to him.

The cargo bay soon opened and out stepped out the Spartan in the BDU, MA5 in his arms, he stopped in front of Coronel Fury and Captain America, holstering his weapon and saluting them as per his code of conduct.

"Coronel Fury, Captain Rogers." He greeted.

They returned the salute, and once more he grabbed his weapon and stood at the ready.

"Been a while since I did that, you expecting trouble son?" Fury asks as he eyed the weapon "**wonder if I can get the schematics on that? Or least shoot hit at some HYDRA goons.**"

"Protocol dictates that I remained armed at all times unless ordered not to by my superiors, and after the fiasco with the Hulk and Doom, I feel better in the knowledge that I won't be caught off guard sir." He replied.

"Can't argue with that logic." The Coronel spoke.

"If you all follow me inside we can get under way." He spoke to the group.

"You heard the man people move out!" the Coronel adds as he makes his way forward.

John stood at the side as the they all went inside, though he did take a longer look at She-Hulk and Carol.

As the X-men made it inside he saw Logan was smoking a cigar, personally he had nothing against it as his departed friend Johnson often indulged during mission to smoke a sweet Williams before every mission, however the Commander may not appreciate the gesture.

"Sir I suggest you put out the cigar, it may be offensive to some people on board the ship." He said in his neutral tone.

"Listen here bub, I don't take orders from soldiers or guys with guns, they're big kids now and they'll deal." The feral mutant spoke to the man, a bit irritated the visor hid his face.

The others stopped as they looked at the confrontation.

"Logan…" Cyclops said irritably "**I swear if the man wasn't one of the best fighters we have I'd have him off the team.**"

"Then I suggest you finish it soon." He spoke before turning away towards the ship.

"Hmph! Wimp." He spoke as he headed inside

"Way a to go Logan, you still have a knack for first impressions." Kitty said to the man she considered a surrogate father.

"I can take him sprout." The man said to her using one of the many names he had called her during her teen years.

"Ooh I hate when you call me that!" She pouted.

"Which makes it all the more fun." He smiled at her.

"_Everyone please prepares yourselves we are about to launch._" John spoke through the intercom.

As soon as he said that the engines came on with a powerful hum and the ship lurched as it began its ascent.

"Any idea where he's taking us?" Clint asks out loud.

"I hope Hawaii." Spider-man quips causing many t roll their eyes at the bad joke.

"Forget Hawaii dude, Haiti is the way to go!" Johnny says as he follows up on the joke.

"You're crazy Storm, Now Alaska that's the place you want." Iceman speaks up as he joins them causing a three way debate between them.

"Great going Clint , now the three of them will never shut up." Jen chides the man.

"It was a valid question, mean green." He refutes.

"Clint any question you make is never valid, it is idiotic."

"Why….you…I…" The man sputtered indignantly.

"And the score card reads She-Hulk 1 Hawkeye 0." She quips earning some laughs.

"One of these day's Jen…"

"Pow, Zoom to the moon?" Peter adds from the back.

"Ha ha ha, oh man he got ya there Barton." Ben laughs hard.

"I'll get you for that Web head you and …"

"My little dog too?" He adds in mock fear earning more chuckles and growls from the archer.

"Oh classic, high five?" Jen asks as she raises her hand, which he promptly slaps.

"They're certainly a lively bunch aren't they John?" Cortana asks as she watches them through the video feeds.

"They sure are, I…" he didn't finish as he felt a buzzing in his head.

"**Sigh, not again.**" He thought as he reached for the intercom.

"Miss Frost, please stop trying to read my mind." He spoke calmly.

"_How do you know it was me?_" Emma spoke in cool tone ignoring the glares she got from Rachel and Kitty.

"Miss Grey, Miss Braddock are you using your powers on me?" He asks.

"_No._" Rachel spoke while still glaring at the blonde woman.

"_I currently have no telepathy to use._" The English woman spoke calmly.

"Then that leaves only you, I will give answers when the time is right, please do not force me to take…measures." He said in the same calm voice, while making a note to update Elizabeth's file.

"_Are threatening me?_"

"_Emma please…_"

"_No Scott, I asked him a question._"

"Take it as you wish ma'am, however this is not conducive to your cause of human/mutant coexistence, please refrain from making me classify you as a hostile." He replied.

"_Why you primitive myopic._"

"Let me field this one Chief." Cortana suddenly spoke over the com, surprising some of them as they had though he was alone.

"Be gentle with her." He spoke as he knew his friend's knack for dealing with those who threatened him.

"Now you listen here you bleached blonde bimbo, if you don't stop messing with my friend's head I will shove your big fat ass out of this ship without out a parachute, you get me, and don't you dare play the race card with me, you husband stealing bitch, now sit down shut up and be silent!" The A.I finished leaving some of the people wide eyed, Rachel, Kitty and Logan laughing up a storm and Emma gaping like a fish.

"I thought I told you to be gentle." He spoke to her after turning off the com.

"That's was gentle, if I wasn't I would have called her much worse than bitch, and with what I read up on her I'd be in the right." She replied

"Sigh, we are now leaving the Earth's atmosphere." He said over the com, the laughing now reduced to snickering until they caught site of the planet through the windows.

"Incredible, I had no idea this vessel was capable of space flight, I wonder what powers it?" Reed spoke.

"Nuclear power perhaps?" Tony ventured.

"No, its size suggests something much smaller, possibly cold fusion." The scientist replies.

"No still too big, subspace link maybe…"

"_Now approaching the moon, ETA until arrival 5 minutes._" He said to them.

"5 minutes to what?" The Human Torch asks to no one in particular.

Spider-man was the first to spot it as he clanked through window.

"Everybody! Look!" he yells causing everyone to rush and get a look, once they do they are shocked as the Dawn decloaks and approaches them.

"Look at the size of the thing!" Ben spoke out loud.

"It doesn't look like an exploration vessel." Beast says.

"Because it isn't, that's a warship." Fury says as he eyes the ship.

"How could we not see that thing? SWORD should have most known races vessels on record." Steve says to Fury.

"That's on my growing list of questions; now settle everyone looks like we're going in." He spokes as the bay doors opened to let the ship in, soon it landed in the designated spot and landed with a dull clang.

John came down from the cockpit and saw they looked at him with expectant looks and towards the cockpit.

"Hey where's the other pilot?" Kitty asks.

"Yes, I would like to have a _word _with her." Frost said in cold voice.

"Trade secret, now then welcome to the Frigate Forward Unto Dawn." That got a reaction from many.

"Are you shitting me! This is a Frigate!" Clint asks in shock.

"Yes though it has been heavily modified from its original design." He replied.

"How much?" Fury asks.

"It is now three times its normal size and carries modified weaponry that is all I am liberty to say sir, now please watch your step, and do not wander off as some sections are in lock down and heavily guarded." He spoke as waited by the doors as they lowered.

The heroes were soon treated to the sight of the Sentinels, Huragok and constructors milling about the hanger bay.

"Fascinating, are you using a fully automated repair bay? And what off these floating creatures?" Reed says as he lets out his inner scientist, the others in the group curious as well.

"Easy Reed, you'll give yourself a stroke." Ben says to reel the man in.

"No harm done, the machines you see here Doctor Richards are constructors and Sentinels, though not the ones the X-men have had the misfortune of encountering." He replied as some of the mutants tensed upon hearing the name.

"And these floating creatures?" Beast asks.

"Those are the Huragok or Engineers as we call them."

As if on cue one of the creatures approached them, or more specifically Ironman, it then proceeded to scan him.

"Uh, what is it doing?" he asks.

"It is scanning you or more precisely your armor; I believe it has detected something." John spoke as he approached the creature; it turned towards him and made a series of hand signs which John replied with his own.

"Does this creature not speak?" Thor asks.

"Not in the sense that we can understand it, with each other they use a series of musical tones but with other races they use a form of sign language." He replied as he interpreted the signs.

"It says your armor has numerous flaws in circuitry, power and metallurgy and is in need of repair." He replied.

"But I just had it adjusted, how can it need all that?" He asks.

"I believe I know what the problem is, it is one of the few who repair my armor and I believe he considers yours…flawed."

"Oh" the billionare replied while the others tried not to laugh, try being the key word.

"Man told off by an alien, now that is a new low huh?" Peter spoke.

"Actually Huragok are not organic in nature but artificial, the race that created them used them for repair, study and build machinery, they are living super computers capable of self replicating, and are harmless unless threatened or in the rare case of defending someone."

"Could it show us its abilities?" Reed asks.

"Do any of you have something you wish to repair or upgrade?" John asks.

"I'd say my armor but I don't have a shirt on me." Tony says

"Like half the planet hasn't seen you without it on." Carol adds.

"You can use this." Reed says as he produces his computer tablet.

John grabs it and breaks it in two much to the surprise of some.

"Observe." He says as he signals the creature, it observes the device and at high speeds began to reconfigure it in several shapes before returning it at pristine condition.

"Oh my stars and garters, I dare say only a speedster could follow all those movements." Beast comment.

"Aye old friend, it could rival my brother Hermes." Hercules spoke.

It carries the device to Reed who finds not only is it working but also has corrected some flaws he had been meaning to address.

"Incredible, its working at 110% efficiency, 10% above the norm."

"They'll do that sometimes, they also store whatever they repair for future reference, so I believe it is good you did not request your armor repaired as the information we have on you says you do not react well to having your technology duplicated, such as the Armor Wars I believe they were called."

"Listen it was a bad time for me and I deeply regret what I did during that period." He said to defend himself.

"It is not my place to judge any of your choices, you are the one who lives with them not I, so long as they do not affect me or my companions then we shall have no conflict between us." John spoke as he turned around and headed for the door.

"Please follow me; we have set up in the ship's cantina since the conference room is not made to accommodate such a large gathering." He spoke as they followed.

As they walked towards the cantina Steve observed how empty the ship seemed.

"Where is everyone else?"

"There are only four of us here; the reason shall be explained soon enough."

"Um, I got a question that's been bothering me for a while…" Spider-man started has he caught up to John "…you said you had records on us, just how much do you know?" He asked the others realizing just now that he had indeed spoken about knowing them.

"If you are wondering if we know who you are underneath the mask? Then yes we know however ask yourself this…" He stopped to look at the man "…we have had the information for months now, have we blackmailed you? Threatened your love ones? Exposed you to the media?"

"Uh no you haven't."

"Then what does that say of our intentions?"

"You come in peace?"

"Exactly, we know much about you all yet we have no desire to exploit you, only if you provoke us unjustly will we retaliate." He said to them all before resuming his walk.

They soon arrived at the room and saw some devices scattered around the room, they all were seated closely around a table, pitchers of water and glasses around..

"The Commander will soon see you, she is…" he was interrupted by a flash of yellow light startling some of the group.

"_Pardon Reclaimer for my rather abrupt entry but I wished to inform you that your combat skin has finally been repaired and upgraded._" Redeeming spoke.

"He gads man! What manner of being is this?" Thor asks as he is up with his hammer at the ready.

"_Oh my apologies for not introducing myself, I am 004 Redeeming Bias, Contender Class A.I greetings to you all._" The Forerunner A.I cheerfully replied.

Reed elongated until was face to face with it.

"Facinating/_Fascinating_." They both said.

"Where are the Commander and Cortana?" John asks.

"_The Commander is on route and Cortana is waiting for you with your combat skin, Reclaimer, do you wish for me to teleport you there?_" He asks.

"Yes, and when I signal you return us here."

"_As you wish Reclaimer._" He spoke before making John disappear.

"Why do you call him reclaimer?" Sue asks.

"_Because that is his and his people's title among the Forerunners after the great war._" He replied.

Before they could ask its meaning the doors opened and in walked in the Commander in her BDU with helmet on, having agreed to reveal who they were to them together, next a yellow light appeared and there stood the Spartan in his armor.

"I thought you said he got an upgrade?" Ironman spoke as he saw the armor and could not see anything new.

"_That information cannot be divulged without expressed consent._"

"That's okay, they'll find out eventually, but first we have one more member to introduce, Cortana you can show yourself, but please do so in appropriate attire, last thing we need is Stark and Storm getting into virtual sex on different scale." She said.

"_Ah way to ruin my entrance Commander._" Her voice came from the armor, making all of them turn to look at John.

He simply raised his right hand and out came out her avatar dressed in blue sundress, she then proceeds to jump off and grow to human size, much to the astonishment of all.

"Hello everyone, I am Cortana." She spoke as the saw her for the first time.

"What's with the dress?" John asks.

"I get from a memory from Dr. Halsey, not sure which, you like?" she said as she twirled.

"It looks nice." He spoke as he gave her the Spartan smile, though only three of them got the reference.

"What are you?" Tony asks.

"I'm an A.I, though not of the same class as Redeeming here, and stop ogling me mister Storm, I am not flesh and blood and even if I was I would not go out with you, you Lech." She said to the man who had a look of getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"But… I wasn't, she…"

"HA HA HA, oh man I am going to remember that one matchstick!" Ben said through his laughter.

"You're the one we heard during the Hulk battle." Steve spoke as he looked at her.

"Yep."

"YOU! You were the one on the ship weren't you!" Emma accused as her temper made her shift t to diamond form.

"Well if you weren't such a nosey bitch I wouldn't have had to put you in your place." She said with equal disregard.

"_Think I just made a new best friend._" Rachel whispered to Kitty.

"_Ditto._" She replied.

"Ladies please, let's leave the cat fights till later." Miranda said to the two as she went to the head of the table.

"Now before we begin break down the armor's new toys for us Cortana."

"Gladly, first off we redid the metal work and reduced weight to about 500 lbs with the user included; also you don't have to worry about entering a planet's atmosphere without risk of death." Many wondered why she would say that.

"Your helmet has been given shielding against physic attack, so miss nosey over there doesn't snoop around, I'll later come up with a more effective means for when you are out of the suit." She said ignoring the glare, she was tempted to flip her off but refrained.

"We have added a new feature in the form of a self repair technology that can help keep the armor up to par unless serious damage is incurred, so if you decide to face the green caveman again it will buy you time, just try not get pounded again please."

"Do you have to call him that?" Jen asks abruptly.

"I could call him much, much worse after what he put my friend through." She replied coldly, clearly she was not a very big sympathizer of the Hulk.

Jen said nothing to that.

"She is just protective of me, she meant no offense." John said to the woman who smiled at the gesture.

"Moving on, shield, flight and cloak remain the same, however we added two new offensive functions and modified one of your existing ones first activate your blades please." She spoke.

He did so and instead of metal out came blue energy ones similar to the Covenant sword.

"These are plasma daggers, and they are just as effective as the energy sword."

"Excellent." He commented, as he struck them together getting an electrical crack.

"How did you make those!" Tony asks shock at the weapons.

"The energy needed to shape them is beyond anything we currently have." Reed adds as he gazes at them.

"Not to mention how you make sure the plasma is contained and not dispersed into the air." Beast speaks as the more he sees the more he wishes to learn.

"Trade secret." Cortana said with a mischievous smile.

"Next is the repulsors cannons we instilled again Hammer make since you know who would make a stink." She said as she eyed Stark.

"One mistake and it hangs over you like cloud that won't go away." He muttered.

"Just mentally command them to appear."

He did just that and the blades retracted, once closed a light flashed and out came the cannons.

"They fire a continuous stream or bolts, depending on the situation, they take little power but pack a mean punch, we have to test them to see how much."

"Finally on your HUD you'll see a new icon, this is missile function, please activate now."

Once more he does as asked and from his shoulders two pods with four holes each appear.

"The same flatspace tech is used here, eight missiles total, to rearm just close them up and the reload, each of these is a micro pulse missile capable of individually of blowing up a Grizzly Tank to kingdom come, overkill? Hell yes." She said.

"Why on earth would he need that much firepower?" Cyclops asks.

"Where were from there are enemies who have superior firepower to us, he needs every edge we can give him." She replied.

"I think it's time you people told us your story." Fury said in a voice that made it clear he was not asking.

"Very well, allow us to introduce are selves." Miranda spoke as she removed her helmet.

"GASP!"

"I am Lieutenant Commander Miranda Keyes of the UNSC Navy, and acting captain of this ship."

"B-but that means he's…" Kitty stuttered as she looked at the man who reached for his helmet.

"I am Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, SPARTAN-II commando of United Nations Space Command, Naval Special Warfare division." He said in an even tone.

"Holy shit! John is the Spartan!" Iceman yelled.

"I fucking knew it! I knew you weren't normal." Wolverine exclaimed as he got over his.

"Normal is a relative term Mr. Logan." He replied.

"You're that detective, the one who rescued those girls and caught that murderer." Tigra spoke as she recognized him from his picture on the news.

"Yes that is a cover I and the Commander used as we moved about this world, one that apparently two of you saw through."

"What? Who?" Natasha asks.

He just looks at Jen and Carol, who have the decency to look surprised he knew it was them.

"You two knew!" Wasp asks in shock.

"Yeah…we did." Carol replies.

"And you decided that little bit of information should be kept a secret?" Clint accused.

"Hey! It wasn't our secret to tell lamebrain…" Jen replied before continuing "…and he did save our collective asses back at the Amazon, besides it's not like he told us we just sorta of figured it out." She finished as she crossed her arms and looked away.

"How did you figure it out?" He asks.

"We recognized the car you used in the Amazon as the same kind you drove to Xavier's." Carol replied as she took a drink of water.

"So that explains why you two were so chummy lately, I thought you were sleeping together…oops." Tigra spoke a little later.

"SPUUURT!" "Cough" "You thought what!" Carol yelled in shock while Jen did an imitation of a fish out of water.

"I'm sorry! It was just you two were acting weird and I well…" she waved her hands as if the answer was plainly there.

"We are going to have a very LONG talk Pam, and nobody better have any funny ideas, especially you two." She-Hulk says to the Torch and Stark.

"Hey!" they reply.

"I see, well thank you for your discretion."

"Okay now that we have cleared that little opera, I want to know the truth, because the UN has no such organization that I am aware of." Fury said as his eye lock on to the UNSC crew.

"That would be true in this universe." Miranda said as she looked at the man with no hint of emotion that could be seen.

"What? You don't mean…?" Reed began as he had dealt with something similar.

"How much do you know of alternate realities?" John asked the scientist.

"Of course! It all makes sense now. You either must have come from a parallel universe or from the future to have this level of technology." Mr. Fantastic spoke.

"You misunderstood me Doctor; I said an alternate reality not parallel." He replied

"What's the difference?" Johnny asked.

"In a parallel universe we encounter different versions of us, living either similar or different lives, but in an alternate universe we may not exist at all."

"That is correct Dr. McCoy, in our reality the year is 2558 and none of you exist, there are no mutants, no superheroes, no Gods of myth and no SHIELD." Cortana spoke from her place at the table.

All were quiet as they processed that, of a world where they did not exist or suffered the problems they had.

"We are not lying when we tell you this, we have nothing to gain from it, and in fact we are hoping you can get us back home to our reality." Miranda said to them.

"Us?" Scott asked.

"The information we obtained on you shows some connections to facilities that have dabbled, in inter dimensional travel, some of you even travelling through time and space, as farfetched as it seems of us, you are our best shot at home."

"That may be true, from what I have seen from this bunch, but there is a matter of trust, how do we know you aren't Skrulls in disguise or part of an interdimensional invasion force"

"If they wished us harm they could have done so as soon as they met us." Steve says in their defense.

"I am only stating the obvious, nothing more." He replied.

"He is right, you don't know about us, but that is why we have brought you here, to tell where we come from, and for that I will require your aid Ms. Grey." Keyes said to the red head.

"How may I help you?" the woman said in a curious voice.

"It is my understanding that you are telepathic?" She asks.

"Yes I am, and I believe I know where you are going with this." He says to her.

"You want her to act as a lie detector." John speaks in a tone that shows it's not a question.

"Why her?" Frost asks.

"Here we go." Kitty said as she rolled her eyes at the woman.

"Kat." Colossus says knowing full the dislike she had for the woman.

"Sigh, I am going to level with you, Ms. Frost…" Miranda begins "…I don't trust you completely; you're past history with the Hellfire Club, and unlike Xavier or the late Jean Grey." she paused as she looked at Scott.

"My condolences by the way Mr. Summers we were off planet when that occurred or we would have assisted you and your wife." She said with true regret the psychics could detect.

"Thank you." He replies before she continues.

"The way you use your telepathy with or without permission leaves me in a quandary of whether or not you should be here at all." She spoke

"Well I never." The woman replied with huff.

"Oh knock it off Frost they have valid motive, and you did try to read his mind on the trip here." Fury spoke.

She remains silent at that.

"**Emma?**" Scott sent through their link.

"**How much more must I pay before they realize how much I go through because of my past?**" she asks.

"**Oh Emma, sigh, do you trust me?**"

"**You know I do darling.**"

"**Then you know I love you, but sometimes you go beyond what is necessary, I know life was not kind to you it wasn't to me either, but please do not try to alienate these people, they have done nothing wrong and are only looking to protect themselves just as you try to protect us.**" He sent.

"**All right…I will try, but you are going to make it up to me Mr. Summers.**" She sent back.

"**What did you have in mind?**"

She sent him exactly what she had in mind.

"**Oh.**" He thankfully did not blush.

"I understand your reasons Ms. Keyes and I promise not to antagonize anyone any further." She said as she held Scotts hand.

"Very well, I hope we can be more civil afterwards, now Ms. Grey, can you do it without going into our minds? We do carry military secrets after all."

"Sure I can do that, but why? It's not like we're going to be telling anyone." She said.

"Because even though our organization does not exist here, we are still honor bound to upholds its laws and ideals to the best of our abilities wherever we are." John says with conviction in is voice.

"**Well guess that means I can't get them on SHIELD, still…**" Fury thought.

And they could tell he meant those words.

"The Chief is right, he, Cortana and I will always act as we would in our home reality, even if it leads us to our deaths, it is through these actions that we honor those who came before and after us and the sacrifices they made so that humanity stands tall, I hope you understand" She asked again.

"Yes I do, I shall scan your surface thoughts, and that way I can tell if you are being untruthful, is this acceptable?" he asked them both.

Both the Spartan and the Commander agreed.

"Now to understand what you are dealing with we have to give you a bit of a history lesson on what happen in our Earth, for starters how the UNSC came to be, naturally we can't go into specifics so will just give you the textbook version." She spoke as the lights dimmed and holo emitters that surrounded them came on line.

"During the 21st century of OUR Earth, space exploration and colonization efforts progressed to the point where international assistance was needed to be conducted effectively." Cortana spoke as she showed images of many talks in the UN assembly.

"Makes sense, such endeavors require massive funds and resources no one country alone could provide without serious backlash to the public, hell not even Skylab has enough, and any other project is currently funded in secret by the goverment." Tony spoke said.

"Indeed, and for this the International Society of Civil Engineers was formed in 2021, with large contributions into the fields of space engineering elevating the quality of space based projects."

"While this occurred National conservative ideologies gave way to International progressive ones, this led to the need to an overall change in the political landscape to meet the demands that came from this space colonization efforts, the UN was the one to provide this, National governments lost their political influence and all military branches were merged into the UN forces." She said to the astonished heroes, or at least those who understood just how a big step that was.

"Incredible, our UN could never pull of such a massive endeavor, let alone have all the political leaders of the many nations, agree to give total control of their military forces, not even for joint operations." Steve spoke.

"Yes and not mention with such a union, all nations would have to act in such a way no one nation benefitted than other less they collapse entirely."

"What were the immediate results of the colonization efforts?" Fury asks intrigued by movement from individual government to collective one.

"By the mid 21st century humanity, under the leadership of the UN, began the colonization of the solar system starting with our sister planet Mars..." She spoke as she showed images of the red planet changing to adapt to life "…afterwards came the colonization of the Jovian Moons as well as the surrounding asteroids and satellites." The UNSC A.I said to the group as she showed them images of the colonies.

"Too bad the Eternals are living on Titan; they'd throw a fit if they saw people colonizing the other moons." Reed said.

"Who?"

"They're a race of humans who were evolved by an alien race thousands of years of go, they made Titan they're home, and we've had peaceful dealings with them on many occasions."

"Huh, well it's not the least strangest thing I've heard and it probably won't be the last, what with what you people seem to deal with all the time." Miranda spoke

"Back to the topic at hand, were there problems with the expansion?" Peter asks crew.

"Indeed there were, like with any period of change there will always be those who seek to implement their own agendas whether they are accepted or not, in this case since the UN change the global economic system from Earth based capitalism to Space capitalism, this brought the resurgence of certain doctrines, led by elements from the extremes of the left wing of the political scene…" she said as she showed images of rallies, protests and such.

"At the lead was the movement led by the Russian born revolutionary, Vladimir Koslov, who formed a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla armed force named after him, the Koslovics with a possibly Maoist or Stalinist undertone."

"The new group of communists aimed to dismantle capitalist systems and corporate power on Earth and in newly-occupied space territories, putting a particularly strong emphasis on liberating orbital installations and orchestrating so-called "workers' crusades" or armed campaigns against their foes on the opposite end of the political spectrum." She says as this time the images show violent terrorist acts against corporations and resource plants.

"The Frieden military movement, based in the Jovian Moons and sponsored by corporate powers in the Unified German Republic, reacted once this upsurge of communism became obvious and Koslovic revolutionaries began attacking their infrastructure"

"They drew their philosophical origin from twentieth-century Fascism and National Socialism, the Frieden's ardent anti-Koslovism and anti-communism convinced them to adopt revolutionary ideals as well." Now she showed the images of the oposing side as they attacked the Koslovics, but also UN sponsored facilities.

"As you can see, among their primary objectives was gaining corporate independence by seceding from UN colonial administration and establishing a self-contained Jovian state. Frieden propaganda claimed that in order to reach a peaceful and independent Jovian nation, the UN, an advocate of internationalism, was to be driven out of the Jovian Moons and destroyed around the Solar System, including on home ground. "

"So you had Neo-commies and Neo-Nazis battling it out at the same time to make their claim on who got lead humanity, Christ and I thought we had it bad when it was one after the other." Fury speaks disgusted by the two groups.

The Captain and Black Widow were silent as they contemplated such a thing.

"What did the UN do?" Hank asks as he process what is being said.

"What else does one do in the face of tyrants and oppressors? Fight back, the UN followed International democracy, and could not allow either one of this groups to destroy all that was achieved for personal gain."

"The first salvo was fired by the Frieden's on March of 2160 on the moon of Io, they attacked UN colonial advisors, Earth responded by sending in the space based navy, engaging in a three month ship to ship orbital and zero G battle, sadly the results showed that the Fascist were not down yet, worse the campaign led to colonies on Earth to take up arms in a wars by proxy, whether for personal or colonial gain, leading to arms mobilization." She spoke sadly as the images showed Earth nations battling one another.

"Mein Gott! Such devastation." Kurt spoke and the others agreed.

"It got worse, 2162 all three parties prepared to engage one another in South America, this would later be called the Rain Forests Wars, this came to be because of the abundance of resources there, the two groups believe whoever controlled it would tip the scales in their favor, the UN engaged them to defend the territory, but the result was devastating to both sides, human casualties, especially infantry were high, and many resources were lost, this led to famine on a global scale." Showing the devastation wrought upon the once beautiful land.

"Goddess no!" Storm spoke as she saw the trees, animals and land dead, having a connection to the Earth through her powers; it hurt her to see such a sight

"By Odin's bear, tis' truly madness what wrought by this men's greed."

"Finally the UN adopted the forgotten Blitzkrieg strategy, after forcing both groups on Mars, they deployed the first space-deployed contingent of UN Marines in December of 2163 on a mission to crush communist infantry encampments in the basin of Argyre Planitia, marking a turning-point in space warfare through dedicated utilizations of Marine forces in ground assaults and ship-boarding operations that would follow during the war."

"The offensive was an incontestable success for democratic UN militaries, and as a result, military theory and strategy implemented the use of Marines in high-priority missions as a baseline for successful operations, especially within the context of larger conflicts." Now showing both men and women fighting against the opposing forces.

"However, the most important consequence of the anti-totalitarian campaign was of both political and military nature, the United Nations presumably did not control a dedicated space-military prior to the Argyre Planitia Campaign, a lacking element which it would replace with a special emergency military force that would come to represent humanity's overall military might. The United Nations Space Command, or the UN Space Command, as it was initially known, was created." She showed the insignia of the eagle over the world.

"The psychological victory the Mars campaign provided, helped by the massive televised propaganda, boosted civilian support and brought on a massive influx of volunteers from all known military branches, they answered the call to put an end to the totalitarian factions, and in one final campaign, the UNSC sent extraordinary divisions on the enemy strongholds on Earth and in space." Images now showed men and women enlisting and fighting against the rebel factions.

"Kind like what happened when you and the Invaders came onto the scene Cap." Fury says to the man, who nods as he remembers all the men who joined the fight during the war after hearing tales of his battle against the Nazi.

"This would last 6 years and with the support of the people the UNSC became the defense against all those who wished to repel rebellious factions, and after 10 long years, it came to an end on where it all began, with the signing of a treaty by the rebel leaders and the UN." She showed the many victories achieve over the fascists and communists.

"In 2170 saw the creation of the first multinational and colonial representation of democracy in space, the United Earth Government or UEG."

"It would be logical maneuver; the planetary infrastructure was weakened by war and required an overhaul to compensate while it healed so to speak." Reed spoke.

"However a new problem arose the world was overpopulated and over militarized, a solution to this problem did not come until the creation of Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace Drive, named after Dr. Tobias Shaw and Dr. Wallace Fujikawa, with it ships could travel vast distances in less time, we shall demonstrate later on." Miranda spoke before nodding to Cortana to continue.

"**Hmm, I wonder if they would be willing to share the designs.**" Reed thought.

"With this new discovery, in 2310 the UNSC sends out colony vessels with both civilian and military personnel, solving the two problems, to the nearest planets and systems, forming the inner colonies, of course these people were carefully selected and had undergone treatments to better aid them while on the journey." This time she showed fleets of vessels moving from Earth and into the unknown, planets being changed and colonized.

"By 2490, humanity had colonized over 800 worlds in the Orion arm of the Milky Way galaxy, from planetary strongholds to small settlements; the Inner colonies became the political and economic backbone while relying heavily on the raw materials provided by the Outer colonies." This time she showed and image of the known galaxy, with blue dots representing the many worlds inhabited.

"This is amazing, what advancements must have been achieved what discoveries made." Tony spoke in awe

"This expansion must have caused some problems as well did they not?" Piotr asks.

"You would be correct in that assumption." Miranda says as the presentation continues.

"As mankind expanded, the political and military power that the UEG desired to maintain began to diminish, and sentiments of reform and political independence spread among the colonists; as the Colonies began to separate themselves from Earth, the UNSC took every step necessary to keep its grip on the Outer Colonies that were developing during this time. By the 2400s, Outer and many Inner colonies soon began to question the often-draconian interference of the UEG in what was originally intended to be a confederation of independently governed worlds."

"Let me guess, they started fighting back?" Clint spoke.

"Yes, rebellion and civil warfare erupted, but this was also the catalysts for the rebirth of project created back during the interplanetary wars, back then the ONI or Office of Naval Intelligence, started a program for bioengineering protocols to produce better soldiers, the initial results failed, and the project was shelved, however with the latest advancements of the time it was reactivated, it was called the ORION project or sometimes referred to the Spartan I program."

At the mentioned of that al of the heroes turn to John.

"I was not part of the initial program, if that is what you are wondering, but I am a result of it." He replied to their unasked question.

"Sounds like a black op to me." Logan spoke having experience with such a thing.

"So was operation rebirth was it not?" John retorted.

"It was, I can't tell you what was done or used, but 65 volunteers were subjected to a series of training and bioengineering operations that turned them in exactly what was needed to fight the Insurrectionists, these Marines were the pinnacle of the military at the time, and an additional 100 volunteers were introduced, their first mission was retaking and orbital platform, they succeeded with only one loss of life."

"Looks like you succeeded where our government could not." Steve said as the only super soldier to have the full benefits of the process.

"Well think about it, you won WWII with the aid only one super soldier and metahumans, we only had these men and women to turn the tide on a galactic level, no powers only enhanced skills and training."

"But the problem was that the more rebels the Orion's took down, the more cropped up, they got smarter, some being led by former military personnel and often raiding military installations and space ports, the super soldiers could only do so much, and age was starting to affect some of the older ones, side effects started appearing both mental and physical, and eventually they were retired or sent back into regular military, they did leave a noticeable mark as their training was used to create a special branch of the military, the Orbital Drop Shock Troopers." Miranda spoke as images showed the ODST'S in action.

Everyone was in shock at seen this people literally drop out of the sky in what could only be describe as suicide runs, since some of them did not make it down alive.

"Good God! And they did this willingly?" Sue asks.

"Yep, they were quite the bunch those Helljumpers." Cortana spoke.

"Helljumpers?" Wasp asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was another name they received for their company motto "Feet first into hell", since they literally went through hell to get to that level, not everyone can become one, and those that do, aren't guaranteed to have a long life in that line of work." Miranda replied.

"I see, either those are the bravest bunch of guys or they were bat shit crazy."

"Bobby!"

"What you've have to be to do something that crazy."

"Wait till you see John in action." Miranda said.

"Back to the topic, things were going terrible for the UNSC and UEG, more and more insurrectionists were popping, stronger military actions were being taken, and lives and resources were being lost." Miranda said sadly as her father often told of the things he had seen during those days.

"Why didn't thou had over the lands they asked for, surely it would not be worth the trouble they caused?" the son of Odin asks.

"Because that would mean losing resources that were need at the time, and open the door to more rebellions I assume." Natasha said.

"Correct again, analysts had projected that if things continued as they were, there would be a full on civil war, in 20 years unless drastic military force was used to quell the rebellions, things looked bleak until a radical solution was given by one of the ONI´s most brilliant minds, Dr. Catherine Halsey, the creator and founder of the Spartan II program, John you want to explain this or should I?" Cortana asks.

"I´ll do it, since I am the subject of conversation." He replied to her before looking at the heroes.

"First of I have to warn you that this subject shall be offensive to you, second I cannot tell you some things as they are top secret, all that you are about to hear happened because it was the only available solution at the time, and it would later prove to be of great importance." He said to the people involved, who were a bit disturbed by his words.

"This program like its predecessor, was designed to create an elite fighting force of soldiers who could quell the factions in their infancy, to do this Dr. Halsey implemented several radical changes to accomplish this goal, the three most were, one the recruits were to be meticulously selected through a series of tests on the genetic level, two they were to be outfitted with equipment that surpassed anything the current military forces had, and three they would be subjected to a series of augmentation procedures more advanced than the previous class of Spartan I´s." he said to them.

"But selecting recruits in such a way would mean they had to have something in them that made them stand out from the rest of the population." Carol spoke, the others nodding in agreement.

"And that is the other legacy of the original Spartan´s, the soldiers who survived at the end of the program still carried their augmented talent´s into the population who also were genetically fit due to our advancements at the time, meaning that those who had children passed on this talents to them, rough estimates indicated 300 hundred of them had done this, however due to budget constraints only 75 were found, I was one of them."

"Heh, ironic you people unknowingly succeeded at what the German's were gunning for back in the war, Hitler must be laughing it up in hell." Fury said with a smirk.

"Anyway, what made you so special John?" Jen asks making them all look at the man.

"I was six at the time when I was personally selected by Dr. Halsey to be part of the program, at that time I was a head taller than most six year olds, I was more proportioned physically and I had superior reflexes as well as a need to win." He replied, but before he could continue Cortana added something he failed to mention.

"You forgot to mention that you were also very lucky." She said with a grin.

"Lucky?" Peter asks incredulously.

"Yes you see Dr. Halsey gave him a final test to determine if he was truly a worthy candidate, she took out an old coin flipped it, he caught it and correctly predicted its outcome." She said with pride as that event mark the beginning of his new life and their eventual meeting.

"Get out town! He really did that? Can he show us?" Johnny asked in childish excitement.

"Johnny behave yourself." Sue chided.

"That's okay, personally I wanted to see if those rumors about his luck were true, do any of you have a coin on hand?" Keyes asked.

"Sorry this suit doesn't have any pockets."

"We can use mine." John said, as he pulled out his dog tags, and next to them was the very same coin that changed him.

"John is that…?" the A.I asks.

"The very same one." He replies as he hands the coin to the man.

"Pass it here; I want to see how lucky you are." Hawkeye said, John hands over the quarter; he then flips it and catches it.

"Heads."

Clint looks at the coin, and indeed it is heads.

"One more time." He says as he flips it.

"Tails."

Again it is correct, this time he flips it again.

"Tails."

"Man you did it again!" He says the others quite astonished.

"Say John, you interested in paying Vegas a visit?" Bobby asks.

"I'm sorry but I'm not a fan." He replied in his even tone.

"Well I guess that confirms THAT rumor." Miranda spoke.

"There was more than one?" Cortana asks unaware of such a thing.

"Well it's more like a running joke among the military branches that know about John."

"Oh I have got to hear this." The A.I said with excitement while some were surprised by her reaction, and some wanted to hear this as well.

"Well as you know, John in his illustrious career has done just about every crazy, suicidal mission there ever was, I'm talking about things even the bravest of Helljumpers would not touch with a 10 yard pole…" she says enthralling everyone "…so everyone wonders how he can be so lucky, and the most used is that he gave Lady Luck herself a ride like no other, so she kept him safe so he can do it again as thanks, HA!"

At that point everyone laughs at that, Peter and Johnny fall out of their seats for that one.

"Oh man! I got to remember that one." Ben said as he wipes a tear from his eye.

"Personally I do not believe in luck, we each make our own." John said not really understanding the humor but then again he is like regular people.

"So there is no Mrs. Mendez back in your reality?" Jen asks sweetly, though several women are now wondering the same.

"No he is single, but then again not many would go for a Spartan…" Cortana said before getting a glint in her eye, one John does not notice "…shame though, any woman lucky enough would be in for something special, I mean great body, personality, incredible stamina and endurance, and then there's his package, oh if only I was flesh and blood, probably wouldn't walk straight for weeks." She said as she fanned herself.

Miranda and some of the others laugh harder, John however has a hand on his face and shakes it depressively; therefore he does not look the hungry looks from some of them.

"Back to the story gentlemen." Miranda spoke do she was amused by the scene between them, which made what he was about to say all the more sour and bitter.

John and Cortana also knew that many would not react well, two in particular, those being Captain America and Logan.

"Very well I and the others who were selected were then taken to primary military shipyard as well as home to many of the UNSC´s military branches and their training facilities, the planet Reach." He continued as images showed the once beautiful world.

"It's beautiful." Jen said.

"Wait, sorry to interrupt but did you get a say in this? I mean I mean sure they looked at you as a kid, but afterwards when you could understand the implications you must have had doubts right?" Spider-man asked the question they knew would cause the most trouble.

"I don´t understand the question." he replied, though he knew what he was getting at.

"He means that as an adult you must have been given the full information of what this program involved." Steve clarifies.

"…"

"I was not asked to join the program Captain, I was covertly kidnapped and replaced with a flash clone that would eventually die, thus eliminating my existence in the eyes of my family and friends, in essence I was drafted at age six." He said in all seriousness.

Silence reigned when he said that, all with looks of disbelief.

"…you´re joking right?" Iceman asks not really understanding the serious of the story he was being told.

"Rachel he is lying about that right?" he asks the telepath whose eyes were wide as she went through every bit of their minds to try and deny the horrible truth, the others sharing equally shocked expressions, some to the point of imitating a fish.

"No he is not." He says evenly though she is still shocked.

"B-but he was just a kid, they were all just kids, and they had families and friends." The hero speaks as he feels quite disturbed by such an action.

"Yes we did, but all that was gone the moment we were chosen and brought into this life, our family names were replaced by a number, the clones used to replace us quickly died off, ensuring that for all intents and purposes we no longer existed in the eyes of our families." He spoke.

"And you just accepted this! They basically stole your life!" Logan says in outrage, his past at the hands of weapon X flashing through his mind.

"Believe me not all of us accepted this fact, one of my fellow Spartans, Kelly-087 managed to escape our handlers, she reached her home only to find the clone living her life, that's when she realized our lives as civilians were over and the life of a Spartan was all we had left."

"Surely the concept child soldiers were illegal there as it is here?" Natasha asks.

"Yes it was, that´s why it was the most top secret operation to ever be carried out, even when our existence became public, the full details were never disclosed, only that we were enhanced soldiers made to protect humanity and its governing bodies from all threats." John replies fully understanding why they react this way.

"But even the ancient warriors of Sparta were allowed loved ones and compatriots, what you speak of are nothing short of cruelty and barbarism." Hercules spoke, angered greatly by this revelation.

"I realize this offends you, but please let me finish, as this story takes an even darker tone, one that may provide you with the understanding as to why our existence as Spartans would be pivotal for the human race." He says receiving nods all around.

"Once we were taken to Reach, we met a man who would shape us into the soldiers we would become, Chief Petty Officer Franklin Mendez, from the moment he saw us he decided that we would be pushed to the limit and beyond, regardless of age or gender, we received a training regimen equal to that of veteran Marines, to many his methods were seen as cruel and brutal, yet effective nonetheless." 117 pauses as he goes through the memories he has of the man who made a great impact in his life.

Images showed them being woken up with electric stun batons, grueling exercises and marches to a modified military obstacle course.

"Yet he also taught the values of teamwork, loyalty, honor and discipline, something he found lacking in the regular forces, he was tough to make sure we survived anything that was thrown at us, he was to many of us our father figure." He paused to let them understand that before continuing.

"He was a great influence to me in particular; I was much of a loner for most of my life, however on the first day of training, in what was deemed our playground, we were given the objective of reaching the bell, the last ones would not be fed, it was in teams of three, I was teamed with Kelly and Samuel-034, however I went ahead of them and rang the bell first, we lost because of that." He stopped as memories of the past came back to him.

"We were left without dinner that night; he came to the three of us and looked at me and told me why I had lost, "you don't win until your team wins." From that moment I never did anything that would cost us victory again."

"Interesting approach." Fury stated though he was still not pleased with the concept of children becoming soldiers.

"It was effective though and had lasting effect on him…" Cortana spoke "…you see when they were 8 years old he took them into the forests near the base, their he gave them a map and explained the objective was to reach the dropship and leave the last remaining child behind to walk back to base or face punishment."

"Oh come on! They treated them like animals!" Jen said in anger.

"John however did not follow that order so he gathered the rest of them and reached the LZ, however it was guarded by Marines in disguise with live ammunition, John did not know this so he came up with a plan to take them out and hijack the ship, it went off without a hitch, they incapacitated the soldiers and with the help of their A.I Déjà they took the ship, with John as the last one to board to make sure all were safe."

"I'm sure that the man was not pleased with the results." Kurt spoke.

"No he was not, however because of his John was made the squad leader, something the others Spartans were glad of, to this day no matter if they had achieved a higher rank or lead their own teams, John would always be their leader the one they would follow into battle no matter what, because he would not abandon them." Cortana finished.

"Then there was Dr. Halsey who oversaw the project, she made sure we were educated in many fields to balance our physical training, she took care of our injuries and occasionally talk to us in an effort to remind us of our own humanity, that we were more than just living weapons." John spoke however Wolverine decided to add his own thoughts on the matter.

"That's a nice little sentiment coming from her; you should have gutted the bitch when you had the chance." Logan said without looking at him

"CLANG!"

Everyone was startled by the sound of metal on metal, and looked at John whose fist had slammed the table hard enough it left an impression; some recoiled as he looked at Logan with a dark look the most emotion they had seen on him.

"I suggest you do not speak I'll of her in my presence or I will be force to take action against you, and I assure you it will not end well for you." He said in an even tone, but Rachel and Emma could feel his anger, and they were afraid of it.

"SNIKT!"

"Just what I'd expect from a good little robot, but you ain't got any idea the hurt I can bring bub, the Hulk's got nothing on me." The feral mutant replied sat up and had his claws were out.

"John stand down, you can settle this later, and you…" Miranda said to the man "…you stow that shit, you may not respect authority but in my ship my word is law and you are not going to start some shit here, or else I'll make sure to kick you out of the nearest airlock ass first, you get me?" she said in a voice only rowdy soldiers heard and feared.

"Listen babe…"

"No you listen asshole! My ship, my rules, these people may allow you to get away with this lone wolf bullshit but if you so much as think I'll take it you are dead wrong, I've seen shit that is ten times worst that some guy in need of a manicure, so if you think I'm afraid by your bad boy act you can go screw yourself, so sit down, shut up and try to act like a man not some stupid animal they say you are."

"Wow." Carols said as Miranda finished her tirade.

"And I thought Jean was bad when she got angry with him." Betsy said to Piotr who nodded silently.

"10 bucks says John can take him." Spiderman said to the torch.

"No bet man, guy is pissed."

Logan wisely sat down but gave John a look that said this was not over, the Spartan just continued to hold his gaze.

"As I was saying, she suffered through much guilt for what occurred to us, and always sought means to ensure our survival, she was our mother, and the only civilian we would accept orders from, the only one we would to everything in our power to protect even if it led to our death." John spoke in an even tone and neutral look.

"What happened next?" Tigra asks hoping to at least move away from the topic of the woman responsible for altering these children, though the next part would make her regret it.

"At age 14 we had completed the physical and mental aspects, what came next was to makes even better, to achieve this they augmented our bodies in a manner similar but more advanced than the original Spartans." The Spartan pauses to collect his thoughts on how best to describe the benefits…and consequences.

"However we realized the severity of the situation when CPO Mendez came to us hours before the procedure to talk to us."

Images now flowed that showed the Spartans standing at attention, all in peak physical condition.

"You were 14? You look like 18 year old athletes!" Clint said as he looks at them.

"Does are some nasty scars you have there, was the training that brutal?" Jennifer asks him but Cortana replies.

"Those are the result of "training" accidents with Tango Company, or payback as I call it." She said with disdain.

"Payback?" Sue asks not liking the looks of things, her maternal instincts at war with what she was seeing.

"**Those poor children, they shouldn't go through that, ugh if I ever meet this Dr. Halsey she and I will have more than words.**"

"Tango Company was the group selected to aid in the training, however they never won against John and the others and decided to get some payback on them, their CO was so pissed he said to use live ammo on them during war games."

"Good Lord and this was allowed?" Beast asked.

"They wouldn't talk and nothing could be proved, it wouldn't be last time they would be discriminated." She replied.

"Honorless cowards, I would have some things to say to does who would take such actions." Thor spoke.

"And I would be there with you my friend." Hercules added.

"Quiet I want to hear this." Fury said as he saw the trainer come in and address them.

"_Spartans!_" Mendez says to called their attention

"_Sir!_" they all reply and salute.

"_At ease, In a few short hours you will undergo procedures made to make you the toughest sons of bitches on the battlefield, I ain't going to sugar coat it, you are about to experience what I can believe is the most horrible pain in your lives, this is a test you cannot afford to fail._" He spoke grimly; the teens still looked on impassively.

"_Chief Mendez, Sir! This soldier has a question Sir!_"

"_What is it John-117?_"

"_How do we win sir!_"

"_That is a mighty fine question, I can only give you one answer, so listen all of you! To win you have to forget everything you know about pain and fear, they do no longer exist for you, and you are proud soldiers of the UNSC…" _He said as he paced and looked at his soldiers.

"…_I have not spent the last 8 years of my illustrious career in the military training a bunch of flat footed pussy's, I have trained you for one thing and one thing only, and that is too win, so when you go through this, you remember these words, because not only will you face life and death here but out in the fields of battle, when it is over you shall be the finest soldiers I have ever had the pleasure of creating, so do not make me look bad, do you get me Spartans!_"

"_We get you Chief!_"

"Were these procedures that dangerous?" Reed asks him.

"Yes 30 of us died from the side effects, 12 were crippled and reassigned to other areas until a solution could be found, and the rest of us survived and were fully enhanced."

"What kind of side effects?" Ben asks, the bit of 30 dead kids really bothering him.

"Blindness, Elephantitis, several brain diseases, heart conditions among others."

"And what were the results of these enhancements to those who survived?" Rogers asked as a fellow Super soldier, mentally prepared to compare the results to their own program.

"Our eyes could see over much greater distances and much better detail, we also gained a form of night vision, our reaction time was clocked in the 20 millisecond mark, we ran faster than normal humans, and could lift three times our body weight, which due to increased bone mass and muscle was around 600 lbs, we shared a form of telepathy with each other knowing how the other would act and vice versa, our intelligence and creativity grew, our bones were near indestructible and enhanced healing, which has since been further enhanced by Redeeming´s predecessor." He finished, leaving them astounded by what he could do.

"And since they were fourteen at the time those abilities grew until adulthood without the aid of the armor." Cortana added taken some childish glee from their expressions.

"Wait a minute, you mean your armor makes you even stronger?" Betsy asks in awe.

"Yes, this was another part of the changes made to the original program, the MJOLNIR series power armor." He replies

"You named your armor after my Hammer?" Thor asked a bit confused at how to take that.

"Yes, and like the legends surrounding it only Spartans were meant to use them, anyone else was rather severely injured or killed." He said to the heroes.

"Because only your bodies could withstand them I assume, or worthy I guess." Tony said showing once more his analytical skills.

"Yes, hope you don't mind there…Thor." Miranda says not sure how to address him.

"I must say I have mixed feelings, but since this is from a realm I have no say in I shall reserve judgment."

"Man, it's like you guys took Ironman, Captain America and Wolverine together to create these soldiers." Peter spoke out loud after hearing all they could do.

"Web head's right you're a one man army." Ben spoke the others agreeing.

"You should see all the medals he won, you could practically make a statue of them, here look." Cortana spoke as she showed them his achievements.

"Damn! He has more than you Cap!" Janet said having seen the man's records from WWII.

"They mean nothing to me Cortana, I was simply doing my duty as a soldier, and no soldier should be honored for doing his duty."

"Too true John, spoken like a true soldier." Steve replied as he agreed with the man, feeling his respect for him rise.

"Back to topic, our armors were designed to augment our enhanced bodies even further, while providing use better protection, however what began as a plan to stop insurrection change to a fight for survival."

"Mister Wagner, this is why I do not put much stock in religion." He said to the religious man.

"On October 7th 2525, humanity learned they were not alone in the universe and what's more that we would be in the fight for our lives, for that day we met the alien combine known as the Covenant." She spoke as Cortana showed them the moment the war ignited, on Harvest or rather what was once Harvest.

"Gods have mercy!" Hercules spoke as he saw the remains.

"Oh my God!" Emma cried out upon seeing the glassed world of Harvest.

"Gotten Himmel!" Kurt cried out as he crosses himself.

"They came and burned the planet into a lifeless ball of glass, something they would due repeatedly during the war, this was the message they delivered." John spoke calmly.

"_You're destruction is the will of the Gods…and we are their instrument._"

"From then on it was one battle after another, one loss after another, in space we were no match to them, we outnumbered them 3 to 1 and still whatever victory was achieved was a hollow one as we would lose a third of ships." Miranda spoke as images flowed showing the devastation the Covenant inflicted on the fleets.

"This is barbaric." Reed said as he held Sue.

"The Covenant the prideful lot that they are assumed the same in their ground assaults, that we would just bend over and take it, but they soon learned just what it meant to face us there." Images now showed the military forces fighting with everything they had against the aliens, the ferocity and brutality of which made the Covenant learn that victory over one facet of war was not the same in another.

Then came the Spartans, when they came into the fold, things really took a turn for the worst for the invaders, though few in numbers, the sheer number of casualties they inflicted on the Covenant forces was staggering, they noticed that the weak willed ones would scream in terror and run in fright screaming demons and other such names in their presence, the more braver ones would charge into them hoping to claim fame by killing them, only to suffer horrible deaths at the merciless super soldiers.

When they saw images of John rushing head long into battle they noticed the Covenant forces were especially keen on killing him, Cortana explained that John had been responsible for many victories against them, some resulting in the loss of facilities of great importance, earning a lot of hatred and in some cases respect from the Covenant.

They explained the significance of each member of the Covenant, the caste system, and what roles they played during the war; they were particularly disgusted by the Brutes and Jackals when they ate people, some of them threw up in the corner at that.

One scene in particular showed the bravery of the soldiers of the UNSC.

It was on planet Jericho VII, the mission was to evacuate the planet and inflict heavy casualties. With him were, Fred, Kelly, Linda, Jorge, Kurt, Will, Jerome, Lucas and Janice, as well as three platoons of Marines.

"Hey where's the big guy? Sam was it?" Spider-man asked.

"Sam died on board a Covenant cruiser he helped destroy when his armor was damaged and couldn't leave." John said to them.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be he did his duty, and saved the rest of us." He spoke calmly, though Rachel could feel his sadness.

"**Why can't he express it? It's like he's block it off, how can he keep it all contained?**" She thought, some of them wondering the same.

The landed on the planet, in the ruins of the capital city of New Bismarck, desolation greeted them.

"_All right our objective is the evacuation of the remaining populace, I want no stragglers, we are to move out and meet up with the remaining forces and bug out, keep eyes on the sky and ears on the ground, move out soldiers._" John ordered.

"_Yes sir!_"

They soon moved through the streets, many littered with the bodies of soldiers and civilians alike, very few of the enemy.

As they watched Steve and Nick were brought back to a mission to rescue mission for some Jewish prisoners held at a concentration camp in south Berlin, there they saw the withered bodies of the still living and the depravities done to the dead.

The marines were obviously angry and spoke up what they would do to the Covenant forces if they ran into them.

Thor, Hercules, Logan and Ben sympathized, all thinking what they would have done to the monsters responsible.

During the trek John spotted the lifeless body of a 10 year old girl, face down in the street, he went to her and saw he legs were burned off, turning her over he saw the terror in her eyes.

Betsy, Rachel, Carol cried, Kurt muttered a prayer in German, Natasha and Jen glared furiously as the tears poured, Emma, Kitty and Sue cried on the shoulders of their lovers who could only watch in silence.

Finally they arrived at a burned out school where they last transmission came from.

"_Spread out and look for any signs of them, watch out for traps our ambush._"

They all did as ordered Kelly and Fred with him.

"_Chief we found them, hold up in the gymnasium._" A voice spoke; Id tag showed it was Corporal Jenkins.

"_All units head to Jenkins position._"

The soon arrived at his location and stepped inside, they at least 50 men inside, most heavily wounded with missing arms and legs or horrible burns, how they were not screaming in agony no one knew.

"_Who's in charge?_" John asks.

"_I am, Sergeant Leopold Simmons._" A black haired man with a bloody bandage over his left eye spoke.

"_You head officer here?_" Kelly asks as she surveyed her surroundings.

"_Am now, CO got fragged by Covies three hours ago when we looked for civilians._"

"_All right I need all able bodied men to come with us, orders are to look for civilians and bug out…_"

"_Are you fucking nuts! What! Just because you're some ONI freak you just going to waltz in here and lead us to the fucking slaughter!_" an ODST said, his Id being Roberts Clarkson.

"Why would he say that? You were there to help them." Kitty asked not understanding why such hate.

"Because the ODST's hated the Spartans because they were considered better than they were, they won them over eventually but it was not an easy road." Miranda replied.

They all watched on.

"_You stow that shit Roberts, he's senior officer here, what he say go now grabbed your weapon, meet outside._" Leopold ordered, the man doing as ordered.

"_What about the wounded?_"

"_Pelican's on their way, now gather your men Sergeant, we have lives to save._"

The scene moved forward, showing twenty extra men to the ones that came with the Spartans.

"_There's a bunker about two clicks west of our present location, civies should be there._" Leopold said to the Chief.

"_Fleetcom this is Sierra-117, what's the status of the men we left for pick up?_" John asks over the private line.

"_Much regret but reports show, pickups were shot down as they left orbit, all hands lost, also troop transports were seen heading down, expect trouble, Cole out._"

"_Acknowledged…"_ he paused before addressing his group"_…men I regret to inform that the shuttles carrying wounded were shot down…_" at this many shouted in protest and anger "_...we also have hostiles inbound, keep sharp and move fast._" He finished as he and the others quicken their pace.

They soon saw the bunker; it was riddled with plasma and bullet damage, however the group of aliens, in front of the door was what really got their attention, one of them, a Brute by the looks of things was man handling a mutilated soldier, his arms was blown off his right leg was broken and his hand seemed to have been chewed off.

John turned up the zoom and volume to know what they were saying.

"_Your death can be painless, or I can make you suffer; now I ask again heretic open this refuge!_"

"_Fuck…you…you stupid ugly…ape!_" HE cursed as he spat on him.

"_Fine, men feeding time._" He said before he threw him towards the race called Jackals.

They soon caught him and ripped into him, blood and flesh flying as the man screamed before one of them bit his throat off.

"_Ro'nok, you fool! Even with the M'Legekolo aid, it will take hours to enter this bunker._" One of the Elites yelled.

"_Silence scum! I am in charge and I shall not have you undermine me!_"

"_You only lead because Lodomee fell saving your worthless hide from the humans! Ugh_" He cried out when a fist struck him.

"_I shall not warn you again Snaguelli scum!_"

While they argued the soldiers watched from a far.

"_I am going to kill them!_" Roberts said over the com.

"_Hold position, I count 100 strong, Sierra-051?_"

"_I see 30 grunts, 25 jackals, 25 drones, 6 Hunters, 10 Elites and 4 Brutes, one of them a Major, Chief._"

John looks and sees the bunker is in a perfect terrain for an ambush, it's surrounded by slopes with debris and the building itself is high enough for sniper fire.

"_Linda, and Kurt get to the building and provide cover, target the Drones, do not let them get and aerial advantage._" He said to his brothers over the private com.

"_Done._" Kurt replied.

"_Janice and Jerome take a third of the men to the eastern front._"

"_On it._" Jerome spoke.

"_Jorge, Lucas and Will take a third to the western front._"

"_We're already their squad leader._" Jorge replied.

"_Blue team with me, Simmons._"

"_Yes sir?_"

"_How many M41's and M19's do we have?_"

"…"

"_Five fully armed sir with replacement sir._"

"_I want your best marksmen with them, target the Hunters first, reload and fire again, after the second salvo we fire to anything moving in the pit, terminate with extreme prejudice, is that clear men?_"

"_Yes sir!_"

Soon all were in position.

"_Execute!_"

"SHOOM!" "BOOM!"

Multiple explosions struck the large creatures, cries of shock and surprise heard all over, then more explosions.

"_NOW!_" He yelled as he rose and began to fire at the disoriented aliens, he was soon joined by the others, soldiers crying out over the screams.

"_Yeah get some!_"

"_Eat this you bastards!_

"_It's the Demons! AGH!" A Grunt yelled before he died._

"_Fight back you fools!_"

"_Call for reinforcements! Ugh!_"

"_Use the grenades! Target the Elites!_" John cried out over the fire.

"BOOM!"

"_By the Gods! Ro'nok is down!_"

"_Kill the demons!_" AElite shouted to the others.

More fighting ensued, plasma discharge and hot metal flew.

"_Lucas is down, Needler to the chest, looks bad._" Jorge said over the com as blasts of his M42 resounded.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity the fighting ended.

"_Give me a head count._" John orders.

"_5 KIA, 10 WIA, Lucas is MIA._" Fred replied sadly.

"MIA? His right there, how could he be MIA?" Clint asked.

"MIA…Is the UNSC codeword for a Spartan who fell in battle." Cortana said sadly.

"…what?" Johnny replied not understanding the implications, neither did the others.

"In order for the public not lose faith, the Spartans were portrayed as invincible soldiers, so they were not allowed to be reported KIA."

"But…?" Peter would have asked but the Spartan beat him to it.

"Please save your questions for the end." John asked.

"_Fred, Kurt carry him, do not let them think he's dead, let's get the civies out._"

"_Fleetcom thi is Sierra-117, mission accomplish request pick up._"

"_Acknowledged 117, birds are inbound, we have to hurry though, Covenant Fleet are on approach, from their formation their here too glass it, let's save what we can and go, Cole out._"

Soon the ships arrived and carried the civilians and soldiers out, the Spartans were last, boarding a Pelican and carefully carrying their fallen brother, John was the last to board.

Once inside he went to where they laid him down and removed his helmet.

Lucas had blonde hair and a scar over the left eye, John closes his eyes and removed his tags.

"_Bye Luke, you will be missed._" He said to him.

The feed ended with the fleet leaving just as the aliens came and began the destruction of the planet.

"It wasn't fair." Tygra said to him tears in her eyes.

"Life is rarely fair Miss Greer, Lucas died doing what he was meant to do saving lives." He replied.

"Yeah, and no one will remember him for it! They'll just think he's lost or some shit." Bobby hissed in anger.

"You're wrong I will remember and so will you."

"You follow Spartan law well, John." Hercules said to the man, he nodded in return before continuing.

"The war continued, and sadly we were being pushed back, already the Outer colonies were destroyed, and the Inner colonies were being overrun, however everything changed with the discovery of an ancient installation called Halo." John said as the next images showed the massive weapons platform, and from then on the war took on a whole new meaning, as the saw the secrets it revealed and the horrors it contained.

Images of the Flood brought on a whole new wave of sickness as it infected the dead an living alike, the purpose of the facility horrified the heroes, as the thought of galaxy wide genocide as a means to stop the creatures was abhorrent to them, the fact that this time there would be no one to reseed the galaxy made it all the more shocking.

"They're just like the Brood, no worse!" Warbird said as she remembered the tortures she went through.

Images flowed, showing Guilty Spark, the Gravemind (all recoiling in disgust, and giving Cortana looks of sympathy as she had endured such torture from it), the revelation of the Prophets lies, the alliance WITH the Elites, Miranda's death (Which personally made her shudder as she could still feel the impacts, she promised later to explain how she could still be here.), the Ark, Johnson's death and final words, and finally the victory over the Flood and the means by which they came to this reality.

They were silent as they saw all they went through, however one thing remained to be explained…

"Why did these…Forerunners choose humanity as their successors?" Reed asked.

"We don't know, but maybe our friend here can, Redeeming Bias, why did they choose us as the reclaimers of their legacy?" Miranda asked the monitor.

"_Because your race was the only one to be viewed as their equals as well as to atone for their mistake._" He replied.

"That…that doesn't make sense, fossil records show that humanity did not have any level of technology during that time, and what do you mean to atone?" Keyes asked, John and Cortana sharing a look of confusion on their face.

"_The reason you had no technology was because it was one of the punishments issued upon you by the Forerunners, you devolved after that._" He replied.

"All right, what was humanity's crime? What did we do to deserve that?" She asked.

"_To understand this you must realize that the Forerunners believed themselves the protectors of all life, as in accordance to the will of their predecessors the Precursors, beings far more advanced than anything they could come up with, it is theorized that they ascended to higher plan of existence, leaving behind the Mantle to them._" The A.I spoke.

"What is this Mantle?" Beast asked enthralled by this tale.

"_It was their highest belief, both politically and spiritually, they believed in promoting peace in the galaxy, and making sure to protect those under their wing, this would latter prove to be a mistake._"

"Why?" He asks the monitor.

"_Because this protection limited the advancement of military growth and created dependency on the Forerunners, however two species did not accept this, you were one those species._" It said pausing to let understand that fact

"Who was the other?" Cortana asks.

"…"

"_The __San'Shyuum or Prophets as you known them._"

"But then why did they seek our destruction? Why did they try to kill us? Why!"She demanded.

"_Again the Forerunners form of punishment; you see the alliance between you allowed you to research Precursor technology, making you forge an Empire equal to that of the Forerunners, eventually though you came into conflict with them, however they misinterpreted your intent, your civilization conquered several colonies, not out of greed or malice but desperation, you see humanity was the first to face the Flood, and what's more defeat it._" It replied adding yet another piece to the puzzle.

"_However your war with the Flood left you weakened by the end and eventually you and your allies lost, you were stripped of everything, and the Prophets placed in quarantine, until a member of the council, used them as test subjects for the Halo, he was executed for treason, and they in turn reverted further back._"

"Then the Flood came back and wiped them out, but not before they used the Halo's, right?" Cortana added.

"_Correct, in the end they realized they terrible mistake they made, they knew you were a violent race but also you had a thirst to grow and stand on your own, and that you took the Flood for what they were and succeeded where they failed, in the end they chose you to be the guardians, leaving behind the tools for you to rise and meet those challenges head on and not suffer from their mistakes._" It finished.

They all were quiet after that the UNSC personnel was going over the revelations of their ancestry, while the heroes reviewed all they had heard, it was definitely and eye opener for them, then there was their opinion on the Spartan and all he went through.

Thor and Hercules are more convinced than ever this man was a true warrior worthy of respect and praise among their brethren.

Nick wishes he could have more men with that level of dedication as him.

Steve, Clint, Peter, Bobby, Hank and some of the others feel a great respect for the man and he has gone through in his life, he made choices and sacrifices that could break normal men.

Tony and Reed decide to help them get back home, though a part wonders what changes he and the others could bring to their world if they stay.

Logan and Emma have mixed feelings; on the one hand their interactions were tense, but given what he has faced it's no wonder, Emma decides to give him a chance, and Logan just wants to fight more now, to pit himself against such a man.

Sue wishes he had not gone through so much tragedy in his life, wondering if maybe they can help him regain what was taken from him.

Ororo, Jen, Carol, Rachel, Elizabeth, Janet, Natasha and Pamela are strangely drawn towards him, some more than before, regardless of his past, they want to know more about him.

"Commander Keyes, I was wondering if you would allow the Spartan to test himself against Rogers, see how they stack up against one another, Super Soldier against Super Soldier." Nick asks as he's been wondering how a soldier of the past would stack up against one of the future.

"Oh man I would pay to see that!" Peter said the others finding the notion interesting.

"Actually I want to test my armor against his." Tony added as he saw the upgrades and wants to see how his stacked up.

"You wait your turn, I want to throw down with him first, no claws or armor." Logan said as he looked at John.

"Well before we continue anymore discussions, questions and demonstrations, there is something we need to address, follow me please." Miranda said as she grabbed her helmet and John grabbed Cortana and his helmet, the others followed.

They soon arrived at the bridge of the ship, John transferring Cortana into the network.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked.

"Tying up a loose end, Redeeming have you secured the bridge?"

"_Yes Commander._"

"I have made sure all lines are secured, we are ready." Cortana replied.

"Call him." She said as she put on her helmet.

They all wondered what she meant until…

"_Greetings._"

"Doom!" Reed cries at the sight of his nemesis.

"_Ah! I see the Spartan has guests, your taste in company notwithstanding, I assume this is not a social call._" The tyrant spoke.

"No it is not." Miranda spoke to the tyrant.

"_And who might you be madam?_" he asks.

"I am Spartan-117's commanding officer, you may call me Nightingale."

"_Very well Miss Nightingale, for what reason have you called me?_"

"To address your terrorist action against the Spartan by letting loose the Hulk." She spoke.

"_Terrorist action? Doom did no such thing; I merely wished to test his resiliency against a worthy foe, it is hardly my fault Dr. Banner could not reassert control over his anger._" He said in total innocence.

"You bastard!" She Hulk yelled as John held her, though barely.

"You are fiend of the worst kind Doom, the son of Odin and the prince of power would have words with you in regards to your most recent act." Thor said as he palms his hammer and Hercules cracked his knuckles.

"_Hmph, Doom does not recognize your authority regardless of your divinity, nor he cares for the fury of the female, my interest lie with Spartan, or is he to afraid to speak on his own._"

"I have no fear of men who would use others to do their dirty work Doom, and I have no respect for those who use fear to impose order, I know what your intentions are, and I tell you now, I am my companions will never work with you."

"_Sigh, I see another who foolishly squanders the gifts fate has bestowed upon them._"

"Better to be a live fool than a dead coward, something you shall learn if you ever try something like this again." He said.

"_I would order your man to watch his tongue Nightingale; none may disrespect the might that is Doom and live._" The tyrant said in disdain, Keyes response caught them all by surprise.

"Go fuck yourself Doom!"

"_What!_"

"You heard me you tin plated bastard or are you deaf as well as stupid?"

"_Doom will not tolerate such…_"

"Shut the fuck up, I am going to make this perfectly clear to you, you mentally retarded asshole, if you ever pull something like what you did in New York again, my friend here will go to that little shit stain of a country of yours, and shove his armor plated boot straight up your ass before he paints the walls with your brains and sends you to that bitch who gave birth to you in hell whose getting ass fucked by the devil right now."

"YOU DARE!"

"We do, we have faced worse than you Doom, we are not afraid of you nor do we care of your threats, if you want a war we'll give you one and win, because that is what we are trained to do, we blew your satellites as an incentive here' another, pray we do not meet again." With that he signaled the A.I's

Alarms soon rang around Doom.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!"

"A little virus to your computer networks, please enjoy." Keyes said as she ordered the feed cut just as Doom screamed in rage.

The silence reign for minutes as all gaped at what the two just did with one of the worlds most hated villains.

Johnny was the first to act, though not in a way ever thought possible, he went directly to Commander Keyes, got on one knee and said…

"Will you marry me?"

"You have got to be kidding me." She said in response as she face palmed her helmet.

"Its days like these I wonder why were friend's man." Spider-man said.

"Guys she just told Doom to stick where the sun don't shine, now can you honestly tell me that was not the coolest thing you have ever seen."

"He does raise a very valid point." Ben said.

"Yeah, but now they have Doom on their case." Fury spoke.

"Verily but should they face him in battle it shall not be alone, for the prince of power shall aid them in glorious combat against him." Hercules spoke.

"Aye as will I." Thor said.

"We all we will right guys?" Jennifer asks.

"Damn right, the Fantastic Four have dealt with chrome face, will do it again." The Thing said to all.

"Right you are Ben." Reed supported.

"We thank you for the help; hopefully we shall not have deal with him for a while thanks to the virus we sent."

"I wouldn't worry it is our finest work, he'll have start from zero to get it back up and running." Cortana spoke.

"Well let's all get back to the cantina and finish our talks."

"Before that John, I need to tell you something face to face, would you mind?" Jen asked kindly.

"No I don't mind." He said as he removed the helmet.

She walked up to him and then did something that no one saw coming.

"Thanks for making our day." She said before she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him square on the lips.

"No fair Jen!" Jennifer.

"Damn!" Carol

"You go girl!" Cortana and Miranda.

After about a minute she stopped and stepped away from a slightly wide eye Spartan.

"Well…that was interesting." He said neutrally, though for some he reason he couldn't explain that felt…nice.

"Heavenly would be the correct term." She-Hulk said as she slowly walked away with a swing on her hips and a smile on her face.

"Things are definitely going to get interesting around here." Clint said and all the others nodded.

Things indeed would change in that world but it what matter no one knew.

To be continued…

A/N: Well there you have it broke my record with this one, and as you can see new elements were added to the rewrite wasn't easy but nothing ever worth doing is.

I came pretty hard on Emma here, and also on Tony, and I will say now that I am not a fan of them after the crap they pulled on CW and DR, I will give Emma a fair chance, Tony however, oh the things I will have him suffer (Insert Joker laugh here.)

Also had a bit of Karen there so she knows she still on his mind, also added a bit of lore on the hate groups who are the prime suspects here, as well as a bit on her powers which will be further elaborated on.

Next chapter will be about, expanding some things I couldn't tell here do to time constraints and the murder; the challenges will happen on the next one as well John facing more elements of evil.

As you can see the ladies have really taken a liking to John, will work something out and yes Black cat will make a showing eventually, this does not mean a harem, I have to really think that through hard.

Now on to some of my reviewers.

Freedom Guard: Hope you don't mind me borrowing some lines, you write great ones that I just had to use here,

Jacob: Yes does were indeed some of the weapons used for the Hulk battle.

I know that she calls him Chief all the time but I think what happened was I was subconsciously humanizing her as much as John, and that's why I have her call him by his name, new problem is how to give her a body, and make a convincing battle with Ultron, because he would hit on her.

Can't use Hulk battle for Doomsday because that was the Justice Lords and inside a volcano, the armors good but not THAT good.

It wasn't the whole Avengers just the ones I felt like putting there, had to say who he was though, my choice and all, as for who I will bring from Halo universe, well it's a surprise.

cj-cold: I'm afraid that by the time they find Laura out on the street her mother will have already been killed, so no I can't save her, and that isn't because I don't want to it just not in the continuity I set up, hence why Jean is not there with them, had to fix that mistake.

I will deal with the database and the marvel metals next chapter during the flashback about the talks.

Now two points I would like to address.

First someone asked if X-23 could use the MJOLNIR, the answer is no she cannot, contrary to popular belief she does NOT have a completely laced adamantium skeleton, only her claws are covered, hence why Kimura can rip them out and not have to be the Hulk to do so, the only ones I figure who have a clear shot are Wolverine, Thor, Hercules and maybe Colossus in metal form though I think it would tear itself apart.

Now in regards to, sigh, Deadpool

"That's me!" He who will not shut the fuck up spoke "Hey! That is not my name!"

"You're name is whatever I want it to be bitch!"

"Fuck you, ya crazy Mexican bastard!"

"So help me pool, one of this days, you shall die, and on that day I shall dance and cheer through the streets."

"Never! For all love me and my irreverent attitude."

"Yeah that's why you sucked so much in the Wolverine movie, fucker."

"That was not my fault!"

"Sure it wasn't, ugh, any way to all of you reading this Deadpool will appear during the challenges, there you happy now!"

"Very, now make all men bow before me and the women, except Squirrel Girl, love me."

"Deadpool looks down and falls comically into a raw sewage drain in a pink version of his uniform."

"You mother…!" "Splash" "The manhole is welded shut!"

Peace out everyone (Except Mr. Caca in the hole).

"Fucking Kaos!"


	8. Chapter 8

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Chapter 7, Part 1:

It was a week and half after the crew of the Dawn had revealed themselves to the heroes, and they were currently researching the case files regarding Karen's case.

"You find anything John?" Miranda asked the soldier.

"No, they all say the same thing, signs of a struggle, room ransacked, some objects gone, and all clear signs of a robbery and homicide."

"Except of course the testimony of a little girl who had to watch her mother get killed for standing up to a bunch of bigots and racists on her behalf."

"I know, I am not pleased about this as well." John said to his superior calmly.

Given the time they have spent in each other's company Miranda could tell he wasn't lying about that.

"**If only Karen realized just how much of an impact she has had on him.**" She thought as she recalled how he would spend hours on the phone talking to her, of the few visits he made to see her and ask if she was all right.

Cortana and Miranda could tell though that he had begun to care for Karen, and from the way Karen spoke on the phone when she talks to the Commander she was happy for it.

"Cortana have you located anything that can give us a lead?" He asked his partner.

Her avatar appeared on the holo display they secretly installed in the office, from her facial expression she may have just done that.

"I may have, there was a series 911 call from a next door neighbor that got cut off abruptly and disregarded, it belongs to a Mrs. Louise Engleberg. According to her she had indeed heard a disturbance but nothing more. However the officer took not that she was quite nervous when they spoke with after the murder."

"Could it be she knows something?" Miranda asked.

"Possibly, she could have been threatened to keep silent."

"We should check, this may be the lead we need, if not we'll head to Xavier's maybe they got something." She spoke two who nodded at the plan.

_Later…_

John and Miranda soon arrived to the apartment complex where the crime took place.

After confirming that the woman was still living there and she was still in, they decided to talk to her in hopes of getting any information.

They soon arrived at the door mark 7C on the front, Miranda decided to start things up.

"KNOCK" "KNOCK"

"Hello? Mrs. Engleberg?"

They heard movement inside followed by the doors locks being open; the door was soon open enough to see a chain still in place.

From what John could see she was a old woman of 70 to 80, by his guess, with brown eyes that showed she was weary of strangers.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Engleberg, were detectives from Halsey Investigations, looking into the murder of Charlotte Anderson, may we speak with you?" She spoke as they showed her their ID's.

"…come in quickly please." She spoke as she unlatched the door.

Once the door was open they quickly stepped in and watched as the woman looked around for prying eyes before closing the door and securing it.

"Is everything all right miss?" John asked her.

"No, no it isn't, I know of you, you help find lost children and have apprehended several criminals correct?"

"Yes madam, those are the usual reasons we are called upon."

"Tell me who sent you, was it Charlotte's family?" She asked.

"No ma'am, however before I tell you do you know a Karen Anderson?" John asked.

"Charlotte's little girl? Yes I know her; I have been worried sick about her, she is such a kind and gentle child and after what happened to her mother I..."

John listened carefully to her voice and looked at her body language; he could tell she wasn't lying.

"Very well we just needed to confirm your intentions, I happened to have found her out on the streets during an outing, she told me what happened to her mother and after taking her someplace safe I decided to look into the matter."

"Thank God, I was so scared, when those…men came and killed Charlotte I feared the worst for her." The old woman said with tears in her eyes.

"Please can you tell us what happened?" Miranda asked.

"Let me get some tea first, I need to calm my nerves." She spoke to them.

"Let me help you with that it's the least we can do for the trouble we're causing." Miranda spoke as stood up and joined her.

"No miss, if it's the pursuit of getting justice for Karen and her mother, then there is no trouble. I only regret not coming clean sooner and letting those monster go free." The elderly woman spoke with conviction.

"You can call Miranda ma'am, and my friend over there is John."

"Then you may call me Louise." She replied as they reached her small kitchen.

After some minutes they women returned with the tea and refreshments.

"Louise, how long did you know the Anderson's?" John asked her.

"I first met them 10 years ago when Charlotte came to live here during her pregnancy, I would often help the poor girl around her home since the louse who got her that way ditched her…" She spoke in a tone that showed she was no pleased with the man's actions.

"…I could she was a good person from the start, she never wished to burden anyone with her problems and worked hard at a local dinner to make sure she would have plenty for her child's needs."

"When Karen was born I insisted in helping her during this difficult time, she was still reluctant to accept out of generosity, but I could hardly sit by and let the poor girl work herself to death, so I babysat the little one while she rested up and worked until the child grew some more."

"You are a very generous person." John complimented.

"I simply did what I felt was right, besides I have no grandchildren and watching over her gave me something close to that."

"Pardon me for asking the following but, were you made aware of Karen's change?" Miranda asked.

"You mean was I aware she was a mutant?"

"Yes."

"Yes I was made aware of it when the poor girl was frightened by what had occurred, between her mother and I we managed to calm her down."

"Please don't be offended by my comment but given people's reactions towards mutants I find myself surprised by your acceptance of her." John commented.

"I understand why you would; the reason I accepted her change was because I have seen human nature at its worst. Sigh I am Jewish from my Father's side of the family, when I was Karen's age my family and I escaped from occupational forces in France during the war. I had seen firsthand the cruelty of mankind as my people were slaughtered and captured by the Nazi, to be prejudice against a small child for something she has no control over would be both hypocritical and monstrous on my part." She replied as she drank her tea.

"…I apologize; I should not have questioned your motives."

"Don't, you are a good person, both of you, I can see that you care a great deal for Karen's well being, I am grateful she was found by a kind man like yourself, but if I may be so bold you seemed to have seen your fair share of horror." She spoke as she looked at the Spartan intently.

"…I am a former soldier of the Navy; I have seen much during my time there."

"I figured as much, your eyes…they tell me much about you, you have a strength and sadness I have only witnessed in the brave men who risked their lives to fight the Axis forces and lived to tell about it."

"Louise, what can you tells us about the day Charlotte was killed?" Miranda asks.

The elderly woman looks to the window, they can tell her eyes look to the past.

"I had just returned from the grocer, when I heard raised voices from her apartment, I went to the door and slowly opened it and peeked through…"

"…I saw at least one man at the doorway, I could tell he had brown hair, he was average size at least, I believe he would reach your shoulder sir, I heard raised voices, she was yelling…and whoever was in there was demanding she turn over Karen…sob…she kept screaming no over and over, and…I could hear yells as she was beaten…sob the man was calling her such horrible names." By that point the woman was already crying openly and Miranda had gone to her side and held her.

John though on the surface appeared calm, he was actually livid as evidenced by his knuckles turning white from how tight he held them closed.

"**Not enough they threaten the child they beat the woman for doing her natural right to defend her child.**"

"Sniff, the man at the door saw me and rushed the door; the locks held so he yelled at me that if I talked to the police they would come back for me and whoever I talked to."

"What did he look like?" he asked her.

"He had brown eyes, a scar on his chin; I believe that one of the men said his name was Ralph."

"What happened afterwards?"

"I was frozen for what felt like ages; finally I got out and look into her apartment and there she was beaten bloody and dead, it took me three tries before I calmed down and called the police, however…"

"Yes?"

"One of the officers, I swear his voice was just like the one inside the room, but I couldn't talk to anyone about it! I was so scared! Sob."

"Easy Louise, you did nothing wrong, you were frightened and under duress, and thanks to you we now have more to work with than before, I promise you we will get to the bottom of this." John said in a tone that said they would do just that as he held her hand.

"Louise would you mind if we took you to see a physic? To help get a better look of the man, you don't have to unless you want too." Miranda asked gently.

"…if it will help, yes I have nothing today, is that all right?"

"Yes, we can take you there now if you like; it's the same place I took Karen to."

"Yes please, I have missed her so much." She spoke with true sincerity in her voice.

With that done they three headed out into the Hog.

"That is a very impressive vehicle you have." Louise commented.

"Thank you; it was a gift from a friend." He replied.

Soon all three got in and drove off, as they did Miranda called to give a heads up.

-Hello this is Xavier's, how may we help you? — A familiar voice spoke.

"This is Miranda Keyes, that you Rachel?"

-Yes it is, how are you doing?—

"Fine, me and John are heading over with a guest in toe, she is a witness to Karen's case, we need a telepaths help on this one."

-I'll tell the others, we'll meet you in the foyer. -

"Have Karen there, we want to surprise her."

-You got it, see you soon.—

"Give everyone my regards, bye."

-Bye. —

With that they made their way to the school.

_Several minutes later…_

The trio had arrived within minutes to the school for special youngsters, having notified beforehand they drove inside.

"I see you brought her to a good place, Charlotte was considering bringing her here." The elderly woman spoke as John helped her out of the vehicle.

"It was the only place that suited her needs."

"And you right to do so John." She replied to the Spartan.

"Come on I can't wait for Karen to see you, she deserves some happiness." Miranda spoke John silently agreeing.

_Outside the grounds…_

In a white van with blackened windows down the road, plans were being made.

"Status?"

-That detective and his partner have arrived, they brought an old woman with them. —

"Do we know who she is?"

-Negative Brother, should we delay?—

"No, there are very few faculty members right now, we shall strike now, the demon spawn shall be taught their place, prepare the others Brother Waylon, we have demons to kill."

_Inside the Institute…_

In the primary entrance, several X-men were waiting for John and Miranda, Karen with them as she watched the door intently.

Rachel, Kurt, Kitty and Betsy were with her.

"Calm down little one, he shall soon arrive." Kurt said to the jittery child who he noticed was very excited.

"Sorry Mr. Wagner, I'm just happy he's coming to see me." She replied.

"I'm sure you are, and wait until he sees you in your pretty new dress." Betsy spoke up as she gave her a once over.

Karen was currently in a green dress with polished black shoes made just for her, she had her hair in a braid.

"Besides you aren't the only one waiting for him." Kitty spoke out loud "**Right Rachel.**" She mentally sent to the redhead who was wearing a blue sundress that showed her bare arms creamy white skin and had make up on.

"**Kitty please don't embarrass me here.**" She telepathically sent while hiding a blush.

"**Chill Rachel, you aren't the only one trying to impress the man, check Betsy, I only see her wear makeup when she was dating Warren.**" The young woman sent back.

And it was true, Elizabeth though in uniform was currently sporting a violet lipstick and had her hair in a loose ponytail.

"**Besides remember what Cortana told you guys on the Dawn…**"

_Flashback…_

Everyone was currently mingling in the Cantina after watching the crew of the ship tell off the mad tyrant of Latveria where he could take his threats and offers.

John was speaking with Reed, Peter, Hank and Tony about possible technological trades they could make.

Miranda and Cortana however were socializing with several of the heroines, or more to the point those who expressed an interest in the Spartan.

"So Commander Keyes, out of curiosity what is it like living with John?" Tygra asked.

"Well, at first it was difficult to get him to drop formality with me, as you know he is a military man through and through. But between me and Cortana we have been getting him to loosen up, not much but he's getting there."

"I see, would you be opposed for someone else to help?" Ororo boldly asked.

"Ladies, I am not blind I can tell you are interested in him in more than a professional manner." She said bluntly getting some of them to blush at the accurate assessment.

"Well I wouldn't go that far he's just very unique." Rachel said weakly.

"Ms. Grey you don't have to hide it, you aren't the first woman to take notice of him, a lot of the female UNSC personnel lucky enough to see him without the helmet on have made comments on his looks."

"So how come no one makes a try for him?" Carol asked.

"Well, for the most part he and the others are intimidating to many people, and another reason is they don't really socialize outside of the program, they feel more comfortable with each other, Chief Mendez and Dr. Halsey." Cortana answered.

"So he lacks social experience?"

"Oh he has experience, but only with military personnel, and that's those who have earned his full trust. Frankly you should count yourselves lucky he has chosen to reveal his name to you, which is a Spartan's greatest secret the fact that he has chosen to reveal himself to you shows how much he is willing to work with you."

"Wow, I never thought it was that big a deal." Carol spoke surprised at that revelation.

"Before today, only the other Spartans, Mendez, Halsey and Johnson were aware of his name." the A.I said to her.

They were silent upon the implications involved with that.

"Since you can tell some of us are interested in him…got any tips for us?" Jen asked.

"You are going to need a lot of patience with him." Miranda said to the women.

"Why? He doesn't seem like a bad sort." Psylocke spoke as she eyed the man.

"Well…John neglected to mention one of the side effects from the augmentations." Cortana spoke as she bid them closer, even the Commander got in as John never really got into any details about what other side effects occurred to them.

"_He has a suppressed sex drive._" She whispered.

"…"

"WHAT?"

The women who were with Cortana looked at the A.I with shock and even Miranda surprised as the A.I told them about the other risk in the augmentations that John went through as a kid, taking notice of the stares they were getting Miranda cut off any questioning.

"Sorry about that, just telling about the time John jumped out of a ship without a parachute 2 km above the Earth." Miranda spoke diverting their attention towards the man who was swamped all of a sudden with questions.

"I kid you not, that was one of the side effects, and John's recent medical files show that it's still repressed but not gone."

Jen, and the other women might not be showing it but they were deeply relieved at the news. When they heard about it, they were utterly shocked and feared that the UNSC had effectively killed that part of John.

"You mean he can't have sex?"Janet asked in shock and a little bit of dissapointment.

"No! No, he can have sex; he just doesn't have much of a desire to do so." Cortana replied

"So...he can still?" Jen pantomimed with some random gestures.

Cortana looked at Jen and nodded.

"Yes, but keep in mind that he's lived all of his life in a strict military setting, and spending thirty years fighting the Covenant, and the Flood does not exactly leave time for him to get used to being around women in a more intimate setting. That means that he is very much clueless about that sort of thing, in fact, that kiss you gave was a world first for him."

"So he didn't feel anything when I kissed him?" Jen asks slightly down at that.

"I'm pretty sure he did Ms. Walters, he just doesn't express it like you or me do, he…he's very emotionally withdrawn, the war took a heavy toll on him and he lost a lot of friends as well as saw a lot of bad shit." Miranda said sadly for him.

That sobered the women as they remembered all the horrors he faced for 30 years.

"So is that why he keeps his emotions so well hidden?" Rachel asked as she remembered feeling the sadness and anger, while the man did not show it.

"I think he did it to make sure he could function properly during the war and do his job, but then again he has made so many sacrifices and gotten so little rewards." Cortana says as she looks at her friend.

"Well that's about to change." Jen said firmly.

"Jen, please tell me you aren't planning to jump him." Janet asked as she palmed her face.

"Of course not, I do believe in third date rule after all." The Emerald Amazon said to the group.

Betsy ignored that comment and asked the questioned she had on her mind since hearing about the situation.

"So, not only is he single and thankfully has all of his parts' working...but he's?"

"If you are referring to the fact he's a virgin, then yes he is Miss Braddock. He's never been on a date, asked a girl out, been with a girl, and all that."

"I guess being a Spartan has it ups and downs." Natasha said.

"Well, not exactly, like I said the Spartans sexual drive is repressed not blocked or eliminated, we know this for certain since there recorded evidence of a Spartan marrying and having children." The A.I said to the heroines.

"Are you kidding me?" Carol voiced.

"No her name is Maria-062, she was injured in combat and could no longer take active duty, still she helped test the weaponry and armors for them, along the way she met someone and well, she got her happy ending, of course we never figured out how the man in question worked up the nerve to ask her out let alone date."

Miranda took over and replied.

"I guess that the best way to sum it up is that John is not very familiar with the concept of being with women in a more social setting, even his time on his cover is not enough. But I can say that if he does become more used to living a civilian life, he can be very interesting."

Cortana nodded and replied,

"Of course that also means one of you gets the _pleasure_ of teaching him all about the birds and the bees, and with his learning curve, endurance and stamina, well…you get my drift." She said adding a wink to it.

Their reactions varied from blushing, raising their eyebrows and in Jen's case a smile that clearly showed her intentions.

"And I am not kidding about what I said about him, John does not trust easily, but if you gain his friendship and trust, he will stand with you to the end. And if he does develop an attraction to you, then you will be VERY lucky indeed, and in more ways than one." Miranda said as she tried to save John from a pack of hormonally driven females.

Cortana smiled and replied.

"But if you REALLY want that part of your relationship with John, then you are going to have to work for. But it IS worth it if you really want to try."

_End Flashback…_

The women had discussed it further and resolved to take small steps, just because there was an interest did not mean they wanted to overwhelm the man.

The door soon opened and the first person to step in wasn't the duo but their guest, one Karen was elated to see.

"NANA!" She yelled as she ran to her.

"Oh Karen!" she replied as she grabbed her in a warm hug, the small mutant returned it though not at full strength.

"I missed you so much Nana." Karen spoke with much joy as she cried happily.

"I missed you too." Louise replied with just as much happiness.

The others just remained silent and watched, the women tearing up at the scene.

"Thank you John." Louise said to the man who made the reunion possible.

"Just doing my job ma'am." He replied giving a genuine smile at her.

"**He has a very nice smile.**" Rachel and Betsy thought.

"And a fine job indeed, Herr Mendez." Kurt spoke with much gratitude in his voice.

Karen disengaged herself from Louise and ran to John and hugged his waist.

"Thank you so much."

"You deserve some happiness Karen." He spoke as he kneeled and returned her hug.

"**I bet he would make a great father one day.**" The Commander thought "**Hmm, I wonder could if it would work…?**"

"Everyone this is Louise Engleberg, she was there the day Karen's mom was murdered, and she has agreed to have her mind read to provide us with a good lead into the case." He said to them.

"Of course, thank you for doing this for her, by the way my name is Elizabeth Braddock." The violet haired woman said as she extended her hand towards the elderly woman.

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Hello I'm Rachel Grey, welcome to the institute."

"I'm Katherine Pryde, thank you for doing this."

"Guten tag, I am Kurt Wagner, or as I was known in the Munich circus the incredible Nightcrawler lady Engleberg." He said with a flourish.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all; I hope Karen has not been a burden to you all." She said to the group.

"No she has been an angel, and quite smart too." Kitty said, getting the girl to hide her face in John's leg in embarrassment.

"Oh I always knew that, she has always been special even before her abilities surfaced, sigh I just wish she hadn't seen the ugliness of the world at such a young age."

"We will find the ones responsible, I promise you both." John said out loud.

"Do you wish to do this now or perhaps latter?" Louise asked the group.

"I'm sure latter will be fine, you must be weary from coming all the way here, eat and rest, we're sure you and Karen have much too discuss."

"Yes I believe we have."

"Yay! Nana you have to meet my friends, oh you can come too John." She asked the soldier.

"All right, Miranda can you air out the details of our plans in the meantime?"

"Sure, you have fun now." She replied.

With that done Karen grab their hands into her own and led them towards the common room.

"You know, she's a good influence on him." Miranda said to the others.

"Yes, I can tell that he genuinely cares for her." Rachel spoke out loud.

"So I take it you and Betsy have begun to act your plans to seduce him?" She asked with a smirk as she eyed the women, earning a pair of blushes.

"Yeah, you should Rachel; she was buzzing around her room looking for something to wear that showed off some skin."

"Kitty please!" the thoroughly embarrassed woman spoke.

"You should see your face! Oh your just lucky Scott isn't here; he would probably give you the talk or have a fatherly chat with John."

"Ugh, I know, sometimes I wonder if he will ever treat me as a woman."

"Trust me Rachel, no matter how much you grow you are always daddy's little girl, that's personal experience talking." Miranda said the red head.

"Thanks Miranda."

"You're welcomed, now before we go over the details of the plan, you mind giving me a tour of the place? John said it was quite the place." The Commander spoke.

"Ah, how rude of us, allow me frauline." Kurt replied as he held out his hand to her.

"Thank you Mr. Wagner." She said as she took his hand not the least bit disturbed, and then hooked her arm around his.

They soon left the women behind.

"Hmm, you know they would make a good couple." Kitty spoke up, as she looked at the departed duo.

"Kitty, I know that look." Rachel spoke.

"Look? What look?"

"The look that says you're about to meddle in something you shouldn't." Betsy added.

"Hey! I don't meddle I gently probe and prod."Kitty said with a pout and crossed arms.

"In other words you meddle." Rachel quipped.

"Fine I was going to give you both valuable dating tips but now I don't feel like it."

"Kitty, you have had only two men go out with you, you caught Peter of guard and Wisdom had to crawl and beg for it, I don't think that approach will work on John." Betsy said in turn.

"You never know, well I'm off to class." She said as she waved goodbye and left.

"Well I'm off to see how he's doing." Rachel said casually.

"Not without me your not." The telekinetic spoke as she followed her rival/teammate.

_Outside the institute…_

Three black vans were parked outside the school for mutants, inside plans were being made as men and women in robes were checking their weapons, ranging from assault rifles to rocket launchers.

"My brothers and sisters, the Lord has favored us this day by allowing us to strike at the heart of the demon scum that is the mutant race." A hooded man said to his group and over the comm.

"The majority of senior staff members are out, leaving behind a handful of them and the demon spawn."

"Now, one is a high ranking telepath so make sure your implants are on and functional, use sonic disrupters for the mental powered breeds, and strike hard before they have a chance to organize."

"Rejoice! For this day we strike a crippling blow to the foul abominations!" he said passionately earning many cries of approval.

_Inside the school…_

John and Louise were currently in the cafeteria with Karen speaking to one of the girl's friends; strangely enough it was the same trio of girls he met on his first day here.

Mindee, Phoebe and Celeste also known as the Stepford Cuckoos.

The trio had originally met Karen when she got lost looking for her English class; they were headed towards that direction so they took her there.

Along the way the small girls struck a conversation with them and they actually enjoyed her presence, contrary to the opinions of many of the students they were not Emma's little clones. (A/N: How wrong they are.)

They had discreetly probed her mind and were saddened by her plight and somewhat intrigued by the man who saved her.

From then on when either one had time they spoke with one another.

This was the first time John had met the girls, and he found them to be a likeable sort, once you got past their preference to speak at the same time since that was part of their mutation.

"Thank you for looking out for Karen." He said to them.

"I was no problem Mr. Mendez, she is a very likeable person." They replied.

"Indeed she is. I am glad she has found friends who can understand her plight." Louise said to the three, who after doing a mild surface scan felt comfortable in her presence.

"So Karen has told me that you and some of the others are part of a squad?" John spoke as he drank some ice tea he procured.

"Yes, we are part of Mr. Summers Corsairs."

"What is the purpose of assigning you to a different group?" the elderly woman asked.

"It is to better aid us in the use of our gifts, each squad is assigned a senior X-man as a mentor to better help us develop them."

"I see, form my interactions with the man, Scott appears to be a very good leader." The Spartan spoke as he had seen the files on him and could tell he would have gone far in the UNSC.

"He is, much better than Ms. Frost at least."

John was familiar with the events that occurred with the other two sisters, and chose not to voice it.

"I don't like her squad, their mean." Karen spoke from her seat.

"She refers to the Hellions, over there…" all three pointed towards a group with red and white uniforms on the most of them.

John saw them and could tell much about the members of the group just with a look. This was one of the benefits the training under CPO Mendez left with him as it allowed him to evaluate how a person would react to a certain situation.

"They're aren't mean Karen, just cocky or mal adjusted." He replied.

"Oh, how can you tell Mr. Mendez?" the Cuckoos asked.

"Yes, how can you tell?" A familiar voice spoke.

"Ms. Grey, Ms. Braddock how nice to see you." The girls said to the X-women.

"Hello girls." Betsy spoke.

"Hello, how are things?" Rachel asked.

"We are well, thank you for asking."

"So back to the question how can you tell John?" she asked the man as she and Betsy sat.

"In my time in the military I have been trained to read people, to see how they will react to elements within and without the group."

"And what can you see in the Hellions?" Psylocke asks intrigued by this.

"The one in a Burka, is the more stable member of the group her body language shows she is well immersed in her culture, she does not wish to seek out needless conflict with others and her teammates particularly the males."

"That would be Dust; we freed her from slavers a while back." Marvel girl replied.

"The one with dreadlocks is clearly a follower, he allows himself to be lead by the groups decisions."

"Tag is his codename."

"The large stone one is a Joker and a bit of a bully, he uses his size for intimidation factor and does not take anything seriously unless it garners his interest."

"Rockslide, you're right on the money with that one." Betsy spoke.

"The metallic looking girl is obviously pinning for the boy who is al covered up, however his interests lie elsewhere, that one worries me though."

"How so?" Rachel asked the others curious as well.

"I see a lot of hostility towards the boy with golden skin talking to the blond." He said as he looked at another group with yellow and white uniforms.

"Yeah those are Elixir and Wallflower, their part of the New Mutants squad, the boy and girl you spoke of is Wither and Mercury, there's history between him and Elixir, none of it good."

"What about Julian?" the three girls asked.

"Who?"

"The boy in the jacket with the Hellions."

"Ah, he is accustomed to getting what he wants, and is not afraid to use underhanded methods to do so. However one loss is all it will take for his confidence to be shot and his temper to flare."

"Interesting assessment John, just don't let Frost catch you making them or she will have a fit." Rachel said to the man out loud "**Not that I wouldn't mind seeing it, right girls?**"

"**Right.**" was the reply.

"So John…" Betsy started out casually "…what do those eyes of yours tell you about me?" she asked calmly.

John in turn decided to humor her and stared into her own intently, normally she would feel so self conscious about herself but the man had a very penetrating gaze.

"**Good Lord I wish I had my telepathy right now.**"

"You are very strong and outgoing, when others stop you move forward, from what I know of you, you have shown great strength against many traumatic events in your life. You are kind and generous to those you consider family, yet you also maintain an unbridled passion in all you do."

"T-thank you." The normally cool headed woman was left quite flustered by his comments, Rachel not one to be outdone spoke up.

"And me?"

John once more stared intently at her.

"You live in fear of your mother's legacy, yet it does not stop you from doing what YOU feel is right. You are not afraid of making your voice heard and what may come from it, you have a fire within you that cannot be contained. You seek to show everyone you are more than just your mother's daughter that you are your own woman; you have a gentle nature that makes you very likeable yet a temper that makes you someone not to take lightly."

Rachel was quite floored by his appraisal of her.

"**I can't believe he sees all that in me.**"

"Impressive talent you have there John." Louise commented.

"Oh, oh me next!" Karen said with childish excitement.

However before he could reply he felt something off.

Standing up he looked at his surroundings, years of combat experience coming into play.

"John? What's wrong?" Rachel asked not liking how tense he was.

"Something's wrong, I can't pinpoint it but…" he didn't finished as he saw a black van barrel down towards them.

"Get everyone out of here now!" he yelled as he pulled out his .45's shocking many students.

A hatch on the top of the vehicle opened and from it a man with a rocket launcher appeared, this made the children scatter from the most likely place of impact.

John wasted no time and opened fire on the man.

"BLAM!" "BLAM!" "BLAM!" "BLAM!"

He had fired half his load when he scored a hit on the shoulder, however the man just fire the rocket earlier, hence in hit the edge of the room.

"BOOM!" "CRASH!"

The force of the explosion knocked him back over the table he and the women shared.

The van plowed into the cafeteria and from the back came several robed figures with weapons.

"Kill them all!" one yelled and began to fire at the students who ducked and dodged as best they could, some did get wounded.

"What the fuck!" Julian yelled as he hid behind Santo whose rocky hide protected him and Tag.

"Who the hell are these assholes!" Wither yells as he and Mercury hide behind an overturned table.

"Guys! We have to do something!" David Alleyne yelled over the gunfire.

"And what the fuck do you suggest Alleyne!"

"Fight back!" Nori yelled as she fired off an electric bolt.

"Ah yeah!" Santo yelled as he aimed his rocky fist at a man.

While some of the students began to fight back, Louise regained consciousness she saw the Cuckoos do the same.

"Are you girls all right!"

"D-dizzy…" they replied.

Her relief at their relative safety turned to horror as she watched one of the Purifiers appear and take aim at them with an SMG in his hands.

"NO!" summoning strength she has not possessed in ages she ran and pushed them out of the way, just as a trio of bullets flew by, one grazed her forehead and sadly one lodged itself in her shoulder.

"AGH!"

"NANA!" Karen cried out after witnessing her surrogate grandmother get shot at by people who had done the same to her mother.

A cry of anger was released as the little girl ran at the man responsible and jumped on his back.

"You monster! You hurt her!" the child screamed as she beat at his head with more strength someone her age should have, she also clawed and bit him, and considering her sharp claws and fangs they did a lot of damage.

"Get this beast of me!" He yelled as struggled to get the girl off, some substantial wounds on him as he did.

Another man rushed in and yanked her off by the hair.

"Filthy creature!"

"Agh! Let me go!"

He obliged and threw her away.

"Ugh!"

The wounded man came up to her, pulling a Beretta as he did.

"Mutant filth!" "BLAM!" "BLAM!" "BLAM!"

And unloaded three shots into her chest.

"Heh that was but a start…Glrk!" the last came from the fact that a knife had been rammed into his back, he looked back and saw a pair of eyes that held nothing but unbridled fury in them.

It should be noted that in order to penetrate the body armor beneath the robes, considerable strength had t be applied, in short…

John was furious and not holding back.

He took the dying mans gun still in hand and pointed towards his head before he pulled the trigger.

The Spartan ripped out his blade and grabbed the SMG before unloading on another purifier.

"Gah!"

After dispatching him he knelt next to Karen, for once in his life praying for her safety.

They were answered when she coughed and revealed that her scales had actually stopped the bullets, giving off a shine as if they had hardened themselves.

"J-John..?" she spoke softly as opened her eyes

"You're ok Karen, let's get you to help." He spoke softly, sheathing his knife and then he picked her up gently and moved to where Louise was being held up by the triplets and Rachel.

"Look after her." He simply said as he handed her over.

"What are you going to do?" Rachel asked before regretting it as a hard look came over him.

"I am going to kill them all." Was all he said as he reloaded his guns and rushed into the fight.

True to his words he started off with two purifiers on the left of the van, one saw him and turned his rifle at him, only to get a bullet in the brain, his partner followed as John ran at full speed and smashed his gun into the man's skull.

Sensing incoming he dove right as three more came up on him and fired.

"Kill the traitor to our race!"

"You first." Was the reply as he dropped down and shot out their legs form beneath the van, as they fell he scored a trio of headshots on each of them.

He spotted the last three behind the serving area firing on the New Mutants and Hellions who kept them at bay.

John grabbed a pair of grenades form one of the corpses and pulled the pins.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" He yelled as he let them fly.

"BOOM!"

Gore flew as around from the explosions.

"Jesus Christ! That guy's a fucking maniac!" Keller so eloquently said.

"Yeah, well he just saved our lives." Josh spoke up in his defense as he began to heal the more critically injured.

John ignored them as he went to Rachel and Betsy dressing Louise's wound.

"Rachel where is Commander Keyes? How many of them are there?"

She closed her eyes for a moment to concentrate before replying.

"She's with Kurt and Rogue in the Greenhouse, they're pin downed by eight of these maniacs, Bishop and Gambit are holding them of at the second floor, eight there too."

John signaled the Hog to his location before he addressed her.

"Inform Commander Keyes I will be there shortly, I must first secure the mansion, stay here with the children and Louise."

"I'm coming with you John, these bastards must pay for this." Violet hair woman snarled in fury.

"Grab a gun, your powers are too close range for this fight and follow me." He spoke just as the vehicle slid to a stop.

She grabbed a discarded shotgun and made sure it was loaded. Before following.

He grabbed an MA5 from the weapons compartment as well as an M6 Mag. Before getting in and gunning the engine.

_With Gambit and Bishop…_

Both mutants were currently doing their best to hold the line against the Purifiers to make sure they did not reach the dormitory.

"Goddamn! Where the hell did this jokers come from!" he spoke as he fired his blaster at the men.

"Gambit doesn't know and frankly he doesn't care!" he yelled back as he launched some charged cards at them.

"BOOM!"

"Fuck! Where is our back up! We can't hold them here forever!" the time traveler spoke as he ducks behind a corner.

As if on cue a powerful engine was heard closing in was some seen barreling down on the genocidal zealots.

"Get ready Psylocke, this is where it gets interesting." John spoke as he floored the engine past the broken doorway, Betsy strapping in and holding the gun close, John held onto his rifle with his right hand and the wheel with the left.

The men and women of the COH did not see him coming until it was too late and drove into three of them behind the van with a sickening crunch.

John wasted no time as he got up and aim the rifle at the two on his side and let the bullets fly as he pulled the trigger.

Their bodies where reduced to bloody confetti by the powerful NATO rounds.

Betsy wasted no time and fired at the three on her side, killing two while the third lost a leg at knee.

"Let that one live for questioning." John spoke as he got back in the Hog, which to her surprised was still functional.

"You coming?" He asked her.

"Give me a sec, Gambit! Bishop! Get your arses over here Rogue and Kurt need us!"

"Don't need to tell Gambit twice chere." The Cajun said as he jumped down and headed for the vehicle.

Bishop followed after reloading as he did.

"Let's roll." Was all he said.

The four soon got out and headed to save the rest of their friends.

_With the other's…_

Things were just as intense with the Commander as they were with the others.

She had managed to take down three of the killers despite the dense foliage of the garden.

Kurt had managed to keep then on their toes with his constant hit and run tactics and Rogue had to use fireballs to keep the others from intervening.

However they began to cluster together and concentrate fire on the southerner.

Things got worse when Miranda took a bullet in the shoulder and Kurt was wounded in the leg.

Now only a wall of flame was holding them at bay while they fired on them.

"Shit! I'm out!" Miranda yells as she throws away the empty gun.

"Miranda, do not aggravate your wound." Kurt spoke next to her as he kept his hands on his leg.

"Thanks for the concern Kurt but that is the least of our concerns, Rogue how you doing?"

"Fahne, but these bastards are making if awfully hard to keep up the flames."

"We have to wait until John gets here."

"How long is that?"

"Not much look!" Kurt spoke as he spotted the Hog in the distance.

In the vehicle John was looking at the situation.

"**Six packed together, wall over the edge prevent same tactic as before, time to get creative.**"

"Elizabeth! Get on my lap and take the wheel!"

"What?"

"Do it fast!"

Choosing not to argue she did as told.

Once secured he wiggled out of the seat and got into the passenger side seat.

"Bishop! Pass me that rifle you have, the one with the scope."

"All right, it's got full charge!" the man said as he gave up his weapon.

John stood up with the weapon in hand.

"Bishop, LeBeu grab onto my belt, and keep me as steady as possible!"

The two did as asked.

"You must be out of your mind!" Elizabeth yelled.

"Not the first time someone said that!" he replied as he took aim.

As he did all other distractions faded away until he entered Spartan Time, he focused, aimed and fired.

"ZZZAAAATT!"

The results spoke for themselves as he caught two of them together, the others were two stunned to move and that cost them as another shot came and killed another, then another and finally the last one turned to look at the cause before he died.

All of this took place in less than 30 seconds.

"Mon diue!" Gambit exclaimed.

"Damn! I saw it but I don't believe it." Bishop spoke in shock at seeing the man take out the squad of zealots from such a position.

Betsy was just silent.

"**I know I saw the video files but seeing him do that in real life is something else.**"

Soon the vehicle stopped and they rushed out.

"Rogue! You all right chere!"

"Ahm Fahne Remy, but the others need help."

"Commander!"

"We're here John!" She replied.

They made their way towards them and could see that they were in of some medical help.

"Betsy, Bishop help carry Kurt over to the hog I have a med kit for that wound." He spoke as he headed towards his superior.

"Forget about me John; get some biofoam and morphine ready, he needs it more." She ordered.

John soon had them both patched up and on board the car.

Gambit, Rogue and Bishop remained behind, while they went to where Rachel was located.

He left Psylocke, Nightcrawler and the Commander there and went treat the wounded Purifier; they needed him alive for questioning.

Personally he had no problem leaving the man bleed to death as his anger for Karen was still there, hence when he got to him he was anything but gentle.

He soon began to make his way back to the ruined cafeteria; sirens in the distance alerted him to the authorities coming to clean up this mess.

He could care less, what he did care about was dealing with these men and whoever gave them their weaponry.

"**Cortana.**"

"_I know what you're thinking and I am way ahead of you, me and Redeeming are already taking steps, for go to them John, Karen especially needs you._" She answered.

"**Keep me posted.**" Was all he replied as he arrived just in time to be tackled by a black blur.

"John!" the little girl cried.

"Shh, it's okay Karen, its over. They won't hurt you or anyone else anymore." He spoke calmly as he stroked her hair.

" _I was so scared._" She whispered.

"I'm here Karen; I won't let anyone hurt you."

"John…" Rachel called out to them "…I've alerted the others they will be here soon."

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm a little rattled but fine." She replied with a small smile.

"Louise? The students?"

"Elixir has stabilized her; we took her to our med bay and some are hurt but thankfully no one was killed."

"Good, that's good."

"Thank you, for helping us."

"I did what was right, nothing more."

"Well I appreciate it, not many would have gone as far as you did to save a bunch of outcasts."

"Considering I am one, I feel we need to stick by one another, now please take care of her, the police will want to question me."

"No, I don't want to leave you." Karen protested.

He would have commented on it but in the end the look in her eyes simply won him over.

"All right but don't say anything that may draw attention to you okay?"

She nodded and resumed laying her head on his shoulder.

"Be right back." He said to Rachel before turning around and heading towards the officers.

_Meanwhile in another part of the city…_

"I'm sorry Reverend, we have failed you." A robed figure spoke to a man on a screen.

"No Mathew, we had not foreseen the intervention of the traitor, the Devil is hardly idle when it comes to mutants."

"What now Reverend?"

"…Have you done what I asked last week?"

"Yes, we have salvaged 30 of them with more to come, all have minor damage and should be ready to launch by tomorrow night if all goes well."

"All shall go as plan, for the Lord is with us Mathew and no traitor to his race shall have a say in this, keep me posted, Striker out."

The man nodded and walked towards a rail overlooking men and women busy working on several slabs with figures on them.

"Have those Omegas prepped by tomorrow; we strike as soon as they are ready." He spoke to all.

"**First Xavier's and then the rest of the Mutantkind shall fall.**" He thought darkly as more Omega sentinels were prepared.

To be continued…

A/N: Well there you have the first part of this little drama we have involving John and the X-men, as you can see I spared no expense in getting John in the thick of things.

Any nay sayers thinking I was going to limit him here can't say that I didn't make the fight bloody now can they.

Now some may say Psylocke shouldn't have killed, I say that's bull, someone comes into your home and start shooting the place up, you can bet they ain't walking out in one piece if at all.

Hope I succeeded in making my point across at just how special Karen is becoming to John, and yes I do plan to deepen that bond between them, it will help me when I introduce X-23.

Also I realize people will think me cruel for shooting her to show on of her benefits now that she has changed, but I tell you now I did not enjoy it one bit, just getting it out there now.

Also she needs a cool codename, I will say she has super strength that will increase as she grows, enhanced healing and other abilities I feel work well for her type of mutation, I will take suggestions.

Now onto to fan mail:

Freedom Guard: As you can see I created a unique blend from your suggestion and my own brand of humor, hope you enjoy and thanks for the help.

I know Stark has his good side, but he really got under my skin for the CW crap he pulled, not to say Carol didn't some bad stuff either, I did not approve of her beaten up Julia Carpenter and I will have that addressed if I can get that far.

Pairings now there's a nightmare you and me both have to face, how to make it work, whether single or multiple, thanks for the offer I shall consider it, Black Cat will be added to the potential list, during the Spider-man chapters, not yet sure in what capacity.

Reed and Tony's help will be instrumental when I have them provide a means for them to first communicate with the Halo universe, of course as you can all guess I won't have them return yet or else I would be cruxified for ending such a story with not making him interact more with the Marvel heroes, however when this does occur I have a choice to make, do I bring in more Halo characters?

Jacob: As you can see my work with Karen has only just begun, as I see her as a means to humanize him, it won't be easy but nothing in life is ever that way.

I'll check out your suggestions on the RvsB, though I do think I have been doing a good job with He Who Will Not Shut The Fuck Up! (That is not my name ass!).

Officially its dead even on the Whole Chief vs Captain deal, Chief has 30 years of combat experience, faced hordes of alien foes bent on his death and knows how to hurt people.

Cap however has years of experience fighting superior foes who outclass him in many ways, he is relentless when he chooses to be and can handle himself in a calm collected manner in many situations that would make anyone else crap themselves.

I'm going to kill Carnage, which is a fact just like how I am going to kill the Joker.

He will still use all weapons available to him; the shoulder mounted missiles are just an added bonus to his repertoire.

Still thinking how to give her body, no answer comes to me yet.

cj-cold: It wasn't a Pelican it was an Albatross I used.

The insurance deal was a spontaneous idea I had when I received a PM from one of my fans; sadly he was anonymous but thank you for it nonetheless.

The tests will be unique and in my view a difficult challenge for me, let us hope I can pull it off, as for the medical tech will see.

Fury will have something for the Chief and not just the Secret War; I can see him working with Fury up to that point.

As for Spider-man and the agency, hmm that is a tough call I need to consider, but I will give it some thought.

Well that's all for now, oh by BTW I do not hate you know who, I just like to abuse him for all the crap his pulled on the X-men before learning his lessons that evil is not cool.

"But it pays so well!

"And you get laid how much?"

"Oh like Spider-dork gets any anymore."

"He had Mary Jane, Black Cat, Betty Brant and Gwen Stacy; you have a blow up doll!"

"Don't you insult Linda!"

"Fuck you ya sick pervert!"

"Up yours!"

"That's it! Deadpool falls into a pit of rabid squirrels!"

"No! No! NOOOOOOO!"

Pea…"For the love of god not my BALLS!" Peace out.


	9. Chapter 9

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Chapter 7, Part 2:

_Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters__, medical wing…_

John was currently watching Karen and Louise through the observation window as they rested after the trying ordeal that was the Purifier assault.

Oddly enough the Stepford Cuckoos were between them as they slept, they looked towards him and he gave them a nod, which they returned.

"How are they?" Miranda asked as she came to stop next to him, her arm was still in a sling, once she returned to the Dawn they would have that corrected, Josh offered to heal her but she said he should focus on the students and his friends.

"Louise is asleep right now; Mr. Foley healed her wounds and assured me she would be fine. Karen needed a mild sedative to help her sleep, after what she went through I'm not surprised." He spoke neutrally.

"She's a brave little girl but even she has limits and after what these...monsters did." She spoke with utter disgust towards the men who had come to cleanse the earth from the mutant menace.

John had no words for that, he only desired to see them pay for their actions, in his mind they were already classified as hostiles that needed to be eliminated…with extreme prejudice.

"Where are the X-men?" he asked.

"War room, Kurt showed me there and that's where we're going." She replied as she turned and headed out.

He soon followed; though he gave Karen's sleeping form a lingering gaze.

Miranda saw this and smiled at the gesture.

_In said War room…_

John and Miranda were just arriving in time to hear the more volatile member of the group express his desire for some payback.

"I'm telling you slim, these assholes are planning something I can feel it in my metal covered bones." Wolverine spoke to the Headmaster of the school.

"And how do want us to proceed? By starting a race war?"

"Dad, they tried to kill the children…I think the race war has begun long before we knew it." Rachel spoke.

"Sigh, I know Rachel, but we can't sink to their level or else we risk losing everything we have worked and bled for."

"Scott, we have to do something, these maniacs would have succeeded had John not been here and kick their sorry asses to hell."

"I know that Bobby, but again what can we do? We don't even know where they are or how they armed themselves."

"While I do believe in the merits of both sides, I do have something to contribute to the conversation." Hank intervened.

"And what would that be Hank?" Miranda asked.

"Miranda, John, thank you for your help in defending the students and our home against these men." Cyclops said to the duo.

"No need Cyclops, these men were obviously not expecting to face off against a Spartan and paid for it."

"Damn right they didn't, seeing images are one thing but seeing him in action is definitely an experience of its own." Betsy spoke with a smile.

"They were terrorists in my mind Elizabeth; I simply did what I do to any terrorists…eliminate them." He replied neutrally.

"Either way we have to find this group before they get another chance at attacking the institute and succeeding." Miranda said in a tone that meant they were not walking away from this one.

"See Summers, at least someone has the balls to say it like it is."

"Sigh, Logan…"

"Darling, I know you desire to maintain our status quo but we must face facts, and those are we were attacked in our home and we are justified to find out who is responsible." Frost said to her lover.

"…all right but if we do this we have better make sure this doesn't come back to haunt us, Hank what did you find?"

"Well from the remains of one of the bodies I was able to determine that each member had a psi shield surgically inserted into their brains to prevent mind control or other such effects, this is neither cheap nor easy to do." Beast replied.

"So they're loaded." Iceman said blunty.

"More than likely Robert and well connected in order to obtain said technology."

"Hmm, do you have access to the web from here?" The Commander asked.

"Yes."

"Would you allow Cortana and Redeeming access to your findings?"

Hank looked at Scott for his answer, he nodded.

"Very well, you will find it under Purifiers."

"Got it, John…"

"It is already done Commander." He spoke as he relayed the message.

-Hello everyone.—

-_Greetings._—

Both A.I's appeared on screen, in Redeeming's case it was his icon of a stylish letter "Y".

"Oh my stars and garters, that was fast."

-Well we are super computers with personality's Doctor McCoy. — The UNSC A.I quipped.

"And I stand in awe of you both my dear."

-Why are you flirting with me Doctor?—

"Cortana…" John said with a bit of humor.

-Oh you never let me have any fun, I'll check the data and inform you of the findings, be back in a tick.—

-_I shall attempt to extrapolate possible locations from which the individuals left from through our satellite network Reclaimer._—

Both A.I's soon went to work.

"Dude you have the best toys." Bobby said to the man, who just shrugged.

"What of the man we left alive?" John asked.

"According to my connections in the police, he's been transported to the St. Helen's hospital, why?" Bishop replied.

Instead of answering John looked at Wolverine.

"How good are you in interrogation?"

"Depends on my mood." The man knowing where he was going with that question.

"Right then John, take him with you and get that information, I don't care how many bones you have break or fingers you have to cut, this bastard lost all human rights when he shot at innocent kids." The Commander replied with no remorse or care for the looks she was getting.

"Lady, I like your style already."

"Affirmative Commander."

"Wait! We can't just pass judgment…" Cyclops began to speak but was cut off by the Spartan.

"Mr. Summers, I realize that what is being implied is cruel and immoral, however if our reality's history has shown you anything is that Miranda and I have had our fill of genocidal zealots. We shall not allow it to happen again, you and yours do not deserve to be persecuted for something you cannot help being or you can't control, you are human beings with the same rights to exist as everyone else."

Though it wasn't expressed on his face, his words carried a deep sense of conviction in them that floored the X-men; very few individuals of the baseline human variety ever expressed a concern for them. Then they remembered this man came from a world where they had seen the horrors of such ideologies as intolerance and racial hatred were taken to the extreme.

"Thank you both for you concern, but I must ask that you do not sink yourselves to their level, you don't want to become the very thing you hate, trust me when I say that it is not a pretty sight." Cyclops spoke as he remembered the period were he was possessed by Apocalypse essence. He may have not harmed his family but that alone did not remove the experience from his mind.

"I make no guarantees but I shall try and be…gentle in my questioning."

"That's makes one of us bub, if the little shit tries to lie he'll get my claws in his gut, come on let's do this thing."

"John take the ONI standard package with you."

"Understood Commander."

With that said both men left the room.

"I will return to the Dawn to get my shoulder fixed, Mr. Wagner if you like you can come as well, you're talent's may be needed for this endeavor." Miranda spoke to the man.

"Yes, I believe I will Ms. Keyes."

"All right, if we find anything will relay the information to you…" She spoke as she pulled what appeared to be a cell phone and hit the central button "…Redeeming two for pick up."

-_Understood Commander Keyes, signal is strong and position locked._—

"If Logan comes back to us before you do we will do the same Commander." Emma replied.

She nodded to the woman before Kurt stood next to her.

"Beam us up Scotty." She spoke into the communicator with a smirk as some of the others chuckled at the reference.

-_I believe you have mistaken my designation Commander, I am not this…Scotty you refer too._—

"Redeeming it was a joke…" She said as she refrained from joining some of the people in their laughter "…transport now please."

In a flash of light both were gone.

"So what's the plan Cyke?" Iceman asked one of the co-leader of the group.

"We plan for the worst, and pray that the situation doesn't escalate beyond our control."

They agreed that such a situation would not end well for them.

_Hours later at St. Helens, 4__th__ floor…_

Inside this room we see the only survivor of the group sent to cleanse the mutant menace, he was currently sedated and on pain killers given the nature of his wound as evidenced by the bandaged stump where his leg use to be.

Outside police officers stood watch should the man awake, barring the only entrance to the room…or so the thought.

The window of the room was naturally locked, however that did not last long as a metal claw sunk through the latch and cut it.

It was soon pulled open and in stepped in the Spartan in his MJOLNIR armor and Wolverine in his uniform, both immediately finding the wounded man.

"All right Spartan how do you want to play this."

"Stand by the door, make sure we aren't interrupted, I'll deal with the man." He spoke as he moved towards the Purifier.

Wolverine decided to do as asked to watch the man work.

John quietly stood beside the man, observing the set up they had for him.

"**EKG, IV drip standard set up, probably under sedation and painkillers, pity I'm about to flush ALL of it out if him.**" He thought as he pulled out an injector filled with a concoction the UNSC developed to eliminate the effects of drugs on the human body.

He removed the IV from the man's hand, unhooked the EKG and connected it to a special device the ONI developed for these situations; of course said device was used during assassinations where the target was under the conditions they found themselves in right now.

Once that was done he injected the cocktail into their target and covered his mouth, as he as he noted discomfort he raised his fist and as gently as possible, for him at least, punched the man's stump.

"MMMMPHHMM!" The man's muffled screams soon came as he looked into the reflective visor of the Spartan as he tried to pry off the hand on his mouth.

"Quiet or I will hit you again and I shall not be as gentle as before."

The look of terror and pain was enough to convince the man to stop struggling.

"Do you know who I am?"

The Purifier quickly nodded.

"Then you know I do not take kindly to scum like you, now I will ask you questions you will give answers, yes?"

Again the man nodded.

"You better not lie to me or my companion will take over and he shall not be as generous as I am." The Spartan replied as he allowed the wounded man to see Logan standing causally in the doorway.

"SNIKT!"

He popped the claws on his right hand as he turned to look at the man who had invaded his home coldly through his mask.

"First question, who sent you too attack the school?"

"…" the man glared at the Spartan despite his fear.

"I am not playing, who sent you?"

"The Lord All mighty, blood traitor."

"Wrong answer." With that John punched the stump again as he covered his mouth.

"MMMPHMMM!"

"Who sent you?"

"H-his name is Mathew he contacted me and others to join the crusade."

"You mean the ethnic cleansing don't you?" Logan spoke up.

"Your kind's days are numbered _mutant_ ours is a holy mission."

"Yeah? I wonder how long you got bub?" Wolverine spoke with clear menace as he pushed of the wall and began to walk towards him.

"Right now I am not feeling inclined to stop him, so I suggest that you cooperate while your internal organs remain inside of you."

"Fuck you!"

"WHAM!"

"MMMMPHMMM!"

"Hmm, that leg is starting to look a bit raw, maybe I should slice some off to help." Logan spoke in a dark tone as his claws hovered over the stump

"T-the lord is-s my s-shepherd, I s-shall not…"

"I may not know much about religion but I do know enough to tell you he is not watching over you right now, so talk, who is the leader of the group and where are they stationed?" John questioned again.

"We are his holy instruments, you shall not break me mutant lover."

"Fine, since the gentle approach is not working perhaps the unorthodox will." He said as he pulled out of his pack a futuristic syringe with a green liquid inside.

"That poison?"

"Truth serum from the 26th century, courtesy of the Office of Naval Intelligence spooks."

"You blasphemous…Ugh!" the man grunted as Logan punched him with the hand currently not sporting his claws.

"Do it fast before I decide to do an impromptu surgery on this piece of shit."

John nodded and injected the liquid into the man, a few seconds was all it took before there was a blank look on the man.

"Who does this Mathew work for?"

"Reverend William Stryker." The monotone answer came.

"Fuck, I thought we got rid of that bastard."

"I take it you have a history with him?"

"Yeah, asshole tried to kill us more times than I like." Logan replied with a growl, to which John ignored as he focused on getting the information the needed.

"Where is Striker now?"

"I don't know."

"What is he planning?"

"An attack on the home of the mutants."

"How will he do this?"

"I don't know."

"Shit…"

"Where is the staging area?"

"By the docks, pier 15."

"When will they strike?"

"Tomorrow at midnight."

"Crap, we don't have a lot of time."

"How do we get into the base?"

"Hidden doorway in the basement of the abandoned warehouse."

"Probably has security for us." Logan said in anticipation for a first strike situation.

"We won't need any more information from him." John said as he took out another syringe.

"What's that do?"

"It'll remove the drug and wipe his memory of the last few minutes, get to the window I need to unhook the decoy to the EKG first."

Logan decided not to debate with the man on ordering him around and did as asked.

Once John secured the equipment and made sure everything was as it look he left, should anyone enter and see the blood they would assume it was due to a lack of competence on the person in charge.

Once he and Logan secured the window, John grabbed Logan and took to the skies; they had a plan to form and genocide to prevent.

_Xavier's, War room…_

The news that the Spartan and Wolverine had relayed to the group was met as expected with worry and anger, right now plans were being made to launch a preemptive strike.

John was currently there in full armor minus the helmet as spoke with the group, with him was Cortana currently loaded into the X-men's network.

"Redeeming confirms, the data these…Purifiers are indeed located below that warehouse, from the thermal imaging it is divided into 3 floors with a massive hanger on the second level that leads towards the open sea."

"Whatever it is Stryker plans to unleash, I'm betting it's there, we have to find out what it is." Cyclops spoke as he surveyed the data.

"I agree with you there Cyclops, however from my findings on the Purifier data, anyone of your group would more than likely be shot at first sight." Cortana spoke from the monitor.

"What did you find Cortana?" Ororo asked.

"From the looks of things these guys are seriously prepared to go the war with mutants, the implants served to broadcast a psionic shield that prevents any form of telepathy from affecting them." She replied as she showed images of the implant surgically placed on the brainstem.

"God, these guys have to be crazy if they let themselves get stuck with one of those things." Havoc said to which many agreed.

"Their body armor is designed to withstand high impacts that, although would buckle in the face of men like Colossus or Wolverines Claws, will provide protection from powerful strikes to the body meaning only striking the exposed areas is the best shot."

"How many areas are exposed?" Logan asked as he prepared to catalogue them.

"Let's see, back of the knee and thigh, both arms and head, my recommendation is go for the head, instant kill shot or incapacitate for those who don't blood on their hands."

"Cortana we aren't looking for revenge." Cyclops chided.

"Says you Mr. Summers I do not approve of maniacs shooting little girls like Karen." She replied as her eyes glowed red for a moment.

"**Guess I'm not the only one who has a soft spot for Karen.**"

"Moving on, weapon wise they use standard military grade weaponry, in this case AP, HE and incendiary rounds; obviously these…men are looking for either swift penetration or high damage…"

"Damn…" Bobby spoke softly.

"…they also carry a compliment of sonic grenades for the mental based powers and explosive and thermal grenades for the rest."

"How do those sonic grenades stack up to ours?" the Spartan asked as he wanted to know in order to prepare.

"Unknown they aren't in any known database, not even SHIELD's, meaning they could be better or worse depending on the creator's design."

"Have the Commander send some equipment down on a Pelican, ONI infiltration tech as well as some Covenant weapons I may need them."

"John?" Rachel said as she heard him say infiltration tech.

"I will infiltrate the base and get you a heads up."

"John, you don't have to help us…" Betsy started but he cut her off.

"I don't but I want to, I told you all I was trained to defend humanity, you are human and therefore fall under my mandate." He spoke as he placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She just placed her on hand onto his and gave him a smile and a nod.

"You sure you want in on this man? This may paint a big bull's eye on you." Iceman asked as he didn't want the man to get into any problems because of them.

"Yes, besides with my training and armor I should be able to get in easily enough and get you the information you need and possibly take care of any high ranking members should they be there."

"John you don't have to stain your hands in blood, even if it is guilty." Storm spoke as she did not want the man to have more death on his hands, not after all he has done to defend humanity.

"I make no promises Storm, but men like this Striker are better off as dead martyrs than live leaders."

"All right John, I know things may get hectic but I will go with this plan, I will have several members remain here to defend the school should the worse happen, Logan, Storm, Havoc, Bishop, Iceman and Psylocke you go with him, surround the perimeter and give him back up should he need it."

"All right Slim."

"You go it bro."

"I shall make sure he is not harmed."

"All right Cyclops."

"Into the breach once more, eh luv?"

"These jokers won't even see us coming."

"All right, be careful out there, we have no idea what they have ready for us so I don't want anyone taking any chances and that goes especially for you Logan."

"Yeah, yeah don't get your panties in a wad Summers." The feral man spoke as he walked away.

John chose to ignore the two and placed the helmet on and downloaded Cortana back into the armor, the feel of ice water came soon followed by her voice.

"You know John; I'm beginning to get the feel of home here." She said through the MJOLNIR's speakers.

"You mean facing unknown danger, large number of opponents and death defying escapes?"

"Yeah that's it exactly." She answered getting a laugh from Iceman and Havoc.

"Well luv, you have officially been introduced to the wonderful life that is being an X-man." Psylocke quipped as she held his armored arm into her own as she led him out casting a glance and a wink at her rivals for his affections.

Rachel and Storm chose not to show any visible sign, though internally they were not amused.

_Later that night near warehouse 15…_

"How are you holding up John?" Storm asked through the two way earpiece John and Cortana had provided for the team.

-Call me Spartan-117 or Chief during a mission Storm, and I am doing fine, I have entered the warehouse and I am making my way towards the entrance, over.—

"Very well…Chief, maintain us informed, over." The African weather manipulator replied.

Her team was currently overlooking the warehouse from a fair distance, John already confirming a large group patrolling the area under civilian clothes.

"Guess Cortana was right, he is every bit the military man those files showed." Betsy spoke next to the woman.

"True, but then again that is what made him survive the horrors he faced in his reality."

Betsy had to agree with her on that issue.

"So when are you planning YOUR move on our valiant warrior?" The violet haired woman asked with some humor.

"I do not believe now is the time for this discussion Betsy." She replied with a small blush.

"Oh come now Storm, you have to let go a little, I've seen how you look at him now and then."

"I will admit he intrigues me."

"Now we're getting somewhere? So what caught your eye?"

"Do you two have to go into this now? There's a mission to accomplish." Bishop said as he looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Forget it man, if I learned anything from my time with Lorna is you never get involved in gossip between two women." Iceman said as leaned on the edge of the building, and thus ignoring Havoc's frown.

"And she said you never listened to her." Betsy smirked.

"Oh ha ha, very funny." The sarcastic reply came.

"I do try to impress, now then back to topic, Storm?"

"Well when we first met him, I found he had this presence much like Logan does, except it was more controlled and focused, however what really caught my attention was his eyes." She spoke as she remembered the day he revealed his life to them.

"His eyes?" Betsy asks.

"Though he keeps his emotions locked up tight, his eyes tell so much about what he feels, when he spoke of his fellow Spartans and his parental figures there was deep trust and friendship there. When Logan insulted this Dr. Halsey they showed a fury one would expect from someone defending his family, and when the images of the war he fought in and the lives he saw end, I saw a deep sadness and a weary soul."

"Yeah…that sounds about right." Bishop spoke up as memories of all the friends he lost during the reign of the Sentinels in his time came to him.

"Sigh, I wish I had my telepathy or at least could read him as well as you can." The mutant ninja said wistfully.

"Perhaps but as Cortana and Miranda said we should take this slowly and let him adjust to the idea."

"Yeah…still whoever gets him will be lucky, you should have seen what he did to the Purifiers after they shot Karen, good Lord it was both awe inspiring and terrifying." Betsy said as she remembered seeing the man in action.

"No shit, when he fired my rifle under those conditions it was like watching a master at work." Lucas added.

_With John and Cortana…_

The Spartan had made it to the hidden doorway, and thanks to his own brand of luck it was being access by a pair of technicians, if their wardrobe was any indication.

"_And you say there's no such thing as luck._" Cortana quipped.

"**Looks like we won't need the ONI tech at this rate.**"

He made his way silently behind them, his armor's cloak and his training making it a simply thing for him to approach. True to Logan's words the men were scanned for possibly X-genes and were found clean.

The scanner did not detect him thanks to his cloak so he quietly made his inside until he hid in a supply closet to take stock of his equipment.

His trusted MA5C with grenade attachment, his Gravity Hammer and BR55HB SR Battle Rifle currently on his back, a pair of M7S machine guns on his thighs and finally a pair of Covenant plasma grenades as well as M9 grenades on his waist.

"_John, try and get me near a terminal so we can find out what it is their planning._"

"**Understood.**"

With that done he stepped out into the hallway and made his into the interior of the base.

It was good luck that it followed standard design one would expect from a military installation, hence he sound found some computer banks that were left unattended.

John placed his hand on it and downloaded Cortana, whatever encryption they had meant very little to her as she went through the files, cataloging and saving whatever she deemed noteworthy, such as bases of operations, members and equipment.

It was there she found exactly what it was that the Purifiers planned to unleash.

"John! Pull me back in now!"

The moment she spoke in that tone he knew they had just stepped into it.

_With the X-men…_

The group was still patiently waiting for news on the roof top when Cortana's voice reached them.

-Contact the Mansion! We have serious situation here! –

"What is it Cortana?" Storm asked a sense of dread beginning to rise.

-The Purifiers have Omega Prime Sentinels! 60 of them! –

The moment those words were uttered, all color drained from their faces and shock was evident.

"_Oh God no…_" Alex whispered with dread.

"60! Where the fuck did they get 60!" Wolverine bellowed.

"Who bloody cares where they got them! We have to get in there and make sure they don't activate them." Psylocke all but yelled at the man.

-Cortana, John can you do anything from your end? — Storm calmly asks as they needed level head for what was to come.

-From what I got, the launch area has a console that will activate them, it's a standalone system so I can't get to it, once activated they are programmed to head directly to Xavier's and annihilate the place. From there they will spread out and assimilate more into their fold and head towards Muir Island, Genosha and Britain.—

"They're going to attack places where the X-men have had more involvement." Alex concluded.

-From there they will attack indiscriminately, not just confirmed mutants but potential ones too, they're going to slaughter innocent people.—

"By the Goddess no!"

-It won't happen Storm, we will not allow it, we'll head for this console and destroy it, just in case I'm calling for additional backup.—

"A wise move Chief, what should we do?"

-Wait where you are, if the Purifiers see any of you they may launch prematurely.—

"All right, but be careful."

-Understood, 117 out.—

"Storm we can't let him go in there alone, if those things activate even he won't survive." Bobby spoke in worry.

"We have no choice Robert, he is right if they see us they will launch, we must pray that he will succeed and if not we will have to battle these abominations to buy the team time to prepare."

As much as they wanted to protest both she and John had a point.

"**Please be careful John.**" She thought as she stared at the warehouse that contained their greatest enemy.

_Back with John and Cortana…_

"Have you relayed the data to the Commander?"

"_Yes, she has already begun to call the Avengers, Fantastic Four and SHIELD, hopefully they won't be needed._"

He gave a nod at that as he made his way further into the base; according to the schematics the launch site was located on the second level.

Since the elevator would be watched he made his way to the stairs and began his descent.

"**What do we know of these…Omega Prime Sentinels?**"

"_They were prototypes that were not used during Operation: Zero Tolerance, like their counterparts they were humans injected with nanites that transformed them into armored, mindless killing machines. Only one known case was successful in bringing back the human personality, all other attempts were met with failure._"

"**How did these people get their hands on them?**"

"_AIM apparently salvaged some and Striker had them bought and repaired,now they have them and will use them._"

"**What can I expect should a conflict occur?**"

"_Nothing good John, they are strong enough to give a Hunter a bad day, armed with Force blasters, electromagnetic abilities, flight capabilities and powerful combat computers that make them quite formidable as well as mutant detection systems._"

"…**I suddenly find myself wishing Kelly and Fred were with me.**"

"_You and me both big guy._"

Both had finally arrived and proceeded forward into the large hanger like room, there was no sign of the weapons but from the looks of things the majority of the armed forces were present, from his count there at least 50 of them.

All faced a large screen with a man with white hair, chiseled features in a black suit with a gold cross hanging from his neck.

"_I'd bet real money that's Stryker._" The UNSC A.I said to her friend.

-My friends, today marks the end of the blight that is the mutant race.—

Many cheered this much to their disgust.

-In just a few short minutes our holy instruments shall be unleashed upon the devil's base, yes I speak of the godforsaken piece of land known as Xavier's.-

-Let us us gaze upon them and give thanks to the Lord for granting us a means to their end.—

With that said a technician manipulated the controls on their objective.

From beneath the floor circular chambers began to rise, he was atop of one coincidently, so he quietly dropped down.

"_My god! John look at them._"

Inside stood an armored figure at least 8ft tall, the body suit was black with three striped on the left below the chest, it's forearms and head were covered by a dark pink armor, a pink v-neck, segmented design with a black triangle in the chest, it's face was no longer anything remotely human.

"_How could they have done something so inhuman?_"

"**I don't know Cortana, but all we can do now is give them a quick end before they are unleashed on the mutants.**"

-Brother Angelo, activate them and send our warriors to their destiny! —

"Not on my watch." John said aloud as he threw a pair of M9 at the console as well as dropping the cloak.

"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "ARRRGH!"

-What! Who is he! –

"Someone who is putting an end to your fanatical plan."

-Kill him! —

With that all the Purifiers pulled out their weapons, not realizing that John's armor would withstand such low tech weaponry.

They soon realized this when his shields flared, not even the accumulated barrage seem capable of dropping his energy bar.

He took his MA5 and began to fight back, going full auto, dropping those to close with the powerful NATO rounds, as their body armor could not withstand the strength behind the bullets.

-You think you can stop us!—

"That is the plan."

-Think again, Mathew activate the Omegas from the secondary station! —

"_WHAT! There was nothing in the plans about a secondary station!_"

A second image soon appeared this of a brown haired and bearded man in robes at another location.

-At once Reverend! —

With said the men manning the station inputted the activation sequence.

"_John we have to get out of here and warn the team._"

"**Agreed, inform the Commander to expect incoming, have the Pelican we used head for the team.**" He replied as he activated his jet thrusters and blasted through the ranks of the Purifiers at high speeds.

As he did the mutant hunting cyborg's eyes blink with a bright light before settling in a black backdrop, their capsules as one opened and out they came.

On the far left side a massive door opened that lead into a long tunnel, and all too the beings feet ignited and slowly they rose in the air until all shot through the tunnel.

_With the X-men…_

The team was quite tense as they waited for news from the Spartan, the news that Sentinels that were known to be the deadliest form yet of their robotic nemesis in the hands of bigots and fanatics did little to calm them.

However they soon received news in the form of an uncloaked Pelican suddenly appearing before them.

"Okay that is not good." Iceman spoke.

"You would be correct in that regard Robert." John replied as he landed in front of them and made his way towards the ship.

"What happened John?" Ororo asked with worry.

"I disabled the console but Stryker had plan for that contingency by activating a hidden station, the sentinels are awake we have to move NOW!"

"You heard him X-men, everyone on board now."

They all quickly pilled inside, John closing the hatch as they did.

He got into the pilots seat and piloted towards the Mansion.

Out at the sea the Sentinels burst out in a massive swarm, their programming directing them towards their first target; however their sensors soon detected mutant signatures moving away at high speed.

Several broke off towards them.

_Inside the Pelican…_

"_John we have bogeys closing in._"

"Looks like the Sentinels have detected the X-men on board, Cortana download a copy to pilot the ship."

"_Done._"

With that done he went to the cargo bay.

"John?"

"We are about to get unwanted company."

"They found us!" Bobby asked with alarm.

"Yes, that's why if we want to make it to the others we'll have to defend ourselves." He replied as he went to the weapons locker and handed out Covenant weapons to Logan and Bishop.

Bishop got a T50-Sniper Rifle System, Wolverine was handed a Needle Rifle, Betsy received a pair of Needlers and he took a T52- Special Applications Rifle, he showed how to load them and shoot as well as some ammo.

"All right get ready…" he said as he opened the cargo bay door "…Havoc, Storm will back us up, Iceman your powers are too risky to use here."

"Dude I am way ahead of you, just get us to the school and then I'll really cut loose."

"Here they come!" Alex yelled over the wind as his arms glowed blue.

Ten Sentinels approached fast.

"Fire!" John yelled the night filling with streams of energy, lighting and explosions as they fired on the cyborgs.

Two were immediately struck down as their heads were taken off.

Another lost and arm, another half its face and falling to the earth, he gave thanks that they were not over the city as the destroyed units fell.

The Sentinels soon began to fire back, aiming their hands at the ship and released force blasts, the ship rocked when struck but thankfully the armor held on.

"Cortana ETA."

"_At present speed…15 minutes!_"

"We won't last 15 bloody minutes!" Psylocke yelled as she reloaded.

"_Don't get snippy with me, we'll make it!_"

"And they say I'm crazy!" Logan spoke as he took down another human/sentinel hybrid.

As the aerial battle continued, the Sentinels were down to four, they chose to sacrifice offense for defense, making it hard to take them down.

"Dammit what does it take for them to die!" Bishop yelled as he put another power cell into his weapon

"We're almost there!"

"Tell them that!" Robert screamed as he saw all four of them to power up their weapons.

Acting on instinct John fired his rifle and held the beam, he proceeded to move it in random patterns managing to strike two down and disable another; the last one however fired its own energy weapon and struck the left engine.

If it still retained its humanity it probably would have gloated had not Havoc and Bishop destroyed it and its wounded brethren at the last minute.

John raced to the controls.

"How bad is it?" Betsy said behind him.

"Bad, you have to bail while I make sure the ship doesn't crash into the school."

"But John…!"

"No buts, I assure you I will be fine but you won't if you stay, I will go in low to allow you a better chance, tell the others."

She looked like she would have protested but nodded reluctantly.

She went back and informed the others who were not pleased with the idea of the Spartan remaining behind but agreed that there was no choice.

_Xavier's School…_

The front lawn looked as if the residents were about to fight a war, which was pretty close to the truth.

Miranda had brought two M12A1 LAAV's, a pair of M12R LAAV and one M12G1 LAAV she currently manned the gun turret, the Avengers and Fantastic Four had soon arrive to aid in the defense of the school.

In the driver's seat stood Captain America, in the M12A1 were Black Panther, Black Widow, Tigra and Hawkeye in a driver-gunner arrangement. In the M12R were Beast and Nightcrawler, all of them instructed in their use and proper firing mechanisms.

The rest of the heroes were arranged around the front of the school were Redeeming had calculated the most likely assault point after news of the Sentinels activation came to them.

"Do you believe they will be all right Commander?" Steve asked her.

"Can't say, this is the first time we've faced cyborgs with that much fire power."

"I suppose you are right."

"What's Fury's take on this?"

"Right now he is not happy; all prototypes were either destroyed or hidden away, for these people to get a hold of these many well…let's just say I wouldn't count on him being in a good mood in the foreseeable future."

"Right, I can ima…" She stopped as she saw something over the horizon "…oh shit! Heads up people! They're coming in hot!" she yelled as she spotted the wounded vessel make their approach.

_In the Pelican…_

"Get ready back there! I am going in low now!" John yelled at the passengers.

"This is crazy! We can't just leave him here!" Bobby once more protested.

"Can you fly this heap?" Logan calmly asked.

"Grr, dammit Logan I know you don't like the guy but come on!"

"Kid, I may not like him but I respect him, if he says he'll make it he'll make it now shut up, the grounds getting close and you need to concentrate." The gruff man replied.

Bobby decided to hold his peace as he prepared and ice slide for himself, Alex and Bishop, Betsy was preparing her TK and Storm got ready to use her abilities, Logan was the only who would actually jump since his healing factor and Adamantium ensured his survival.

"Now!" he screamed as the dropship was now a good 20ft of the ground.

As one they all departed Iceman's slide carrying the men while the women flew and Logan jumped and rolled on the ground upon impact.

"_Initiate emergency shutdown!_" Cortana yelled.

Making sure the reactor was secured for impact the engine shut off leaving only air to maintain the ships altitude, however gravity soon asserted it self and given the weight of one damaged engine against the intact one, the vessel tipped right.

The wing needed only that minor movement to drag itself on the ground, spinning the ship in a perfect ninety degree angle and inevitably crashing and spinning on its side in a furious tumble.

"CRASH!"

"JOHN!" Storm and Betsy screamed upon seeing the vessel stop against some trees, a mangled heap.

"Dammit! Quicksilver Go!" Steve ordered the Speedster who one moment was there the next he was gone.

The son of Magneto arrived and saw the remains, he gave thanks that the ship had not exploded thus making his job more difficult.

"Hello! Spartan! If you are alive answer me!"

At first there was nothing to indicate he was alive, however the sound of metal being pushed aside was heard and an armored clad fist broke through.

Tearing open a hole large enough for him John climbed put of the remains, his gravity hammer in hand seeing as his others weapons did not survive the crash.

"_Well John they say any landing you can walk away from…_"

"**Shut up Cortana.**"

"_I swear you have no sense of humor whatsoever._"

"Are you all right Spartan?" Quicksilver asked though he was a bit intimidated by the large armored figure.

"I am fine; we must hurry to the others before the Sentinels arrive."

"Agreed, see you there." The mutant speedster spoke before dashing off.

John activated his jets and took to the sky.

In a few minutes he arrived and headed directly towards the Commander and gave a salute as he stood before her.

"At ease Chief, how are you?"

"Fine Commander, what is Sentinel ETA?"

"According to Redeeming 5 minutes."

"I need a weapon."

"Take your pick I got some hardware near the Gauss cannon."

He did just that finding and assortment of Covenant weaponry, a smart choice given the fact that UNSC infantry weaponry may have little effect.

He took a pair of DEP and DER, some plasma grenades and some needlers.

Spotting a pair of Covenant energy swords he grabbed them and headed towards Kurt.

"Mr. Wagner, I believe you are familiar with bladed weapons and such?"

"Ja Chief."

"Here use these they may serve you well should CQC combat become a factor." He said as he handed the weapons to him.

"Press the handle firmly and they will activate."

"Thank you my friend I shall use them well."

With that done he headed towards the X-men grouped together in the center.

"Cyclops." He greeted.

"Chief, good to see you unharmed."

"I have been through worse."

"I believe you, think we stand a chance?"

"There is always a chance."

Scott nodded at his confidence and got ready for the confrontation.

They soon spotted the Mutant killing machines on the horizon.

"Here they come people, Widow, Hawkeye, Beast and Nightcrawler on my mark unleash hell!" Miranda spoke as she aimed the Gauss cannon.

There was a palpable feel of calm and dread in the air as the heroes watched them approach; they knew they could not afford to let them survive unless they desired to see innocents slaughtered.

At once they were past the gate, the battle commenced.

"FIRE!"

The air was filled with the sound of rockets firing, guns firing and hyper sonic booms.

The first wave of Sentinels fell under the barrage as the 26th century weapons design to tear into superior armored and shielded foes ripped into their bodies.

The front lawn was littered with their bodies as they fell.

The Omega's soon countered by activating a magnetic shield around their bodies that reduced the penetration from the M12A1 Gatling guns, though this did little in the way of the Gauss cannon, the only draw back was it's slow rate of fire.

Of the surviving Sentinels, 25 were intact and 10 were damaged but still operational, they soon targeted the vehicles.

"Bail guys!" Miranda yelled as she saw them power up the weapons, the Avengers and X-men did so just as the beams of energy struck the vehicles, destroying or overturning them some of them.

"Prepare to defend yourselves!" She cried as John handed her a Covenant Sniper Rifle.

The human and therefore non powered heroes were armed with the same, having received a crash course in Covenant tech.

"Let them come and face the might that if Hercules!"

"Aye my friend this will be a good day indeed." Thor added as he twirled his hammered.

"You guys are nuts!" Janet spoke in her miniature form.

The Sentinels charged at the ranks of heroes an soon the battle was met.

"I so appall getting my hands dirty." Emma spoke as she used her diamond form to fight a Sentinel delivering a kick to the sternum that pushed it back.

"ZZAAATT."

It was struck by a crimson force blast from the side.

"Would it help if I said it makes you look sexy?" Scoot said as he neared.

"Mr. Summers please save it for the bedroom." She replied as she launched a right hook to him which he ducked under before turning and blasting another sentinel.

"Oh for the love of God, get a room you two!" Rachel yelled as she fired a DER at a sentinel in front her, the super heated plasma melting of its face.

"Thor this reminds me of the time we face that accursed rock troll Ullik." Hercules spoke as he delivered a right haymaker to the machine he was facing.

"Ah yes, thus thou remember ugh…" Thor grunted as the machine he was fighting delivered a left hook "…I was speaking to my friend foul machine!" He yelled as he gave it an over the shoulder toss causing it to crash on the ground before he swung his enchanted hammer into its skull.

"You were saying?"

"The maneuver Hawkeye taught you that day?"

"Ah yes a shame these beings are immune to it." He spoke as he delivered a belly to belly suplex on his opponent.

"True but twas it not glorious when he inquired its nature and you painfully educated him in it?"

"Indeed it was, I must remember this "Squirrel Maneuver" should my brother Ares come to trouble me again, HA HA HA."

"RARRRGH!" Wolverine cried out as he slashed a Sentinel in two.

"Voshomoi, Logan you must calm yourself!" Colossus spoke as he grappled with an Omega.

"I hate Sentinels! I hate'em!"

"Katya! He's on the rampage again!"

"What the hell do you want me to do! I'm busy." Shadowcat cried back as she fired a plasma pistol at point blanck range into the chest of another Omega.

"Mon dieu! I don' know which is worse, the femme or the lunatic!" Gambit spoke up as he launched a trio of cards.

"I don't even want to know!" Iceman yelled from his position as he fired off icicles.

"Hey Ben!" Johhny spoke as he lobbed fireballs at the beings while dodging force blasts.

"What!"

"Do you think Miranda would go out with me if I asked nicely!"

"Why in the hell are you asking me this!" The thing asked as he smashed two Sentinel's heads together.

"Well I figure that since she's on Doom's hit list she might want some protection….Whoa!" he yelled as he narrowly dodged an energy beam.

"One of these days Matchstick you are going to send me to the nuthouse!"

"Looking forward to it!"

"Captain how are you holding up!" Miranda asked as she fired a Spiker.

"All things considered!" He asked as he ducked under a wild swing before bringing up his shield to the face of his attacker "Pretty Good!"

"Haweye! Panther!"

"I'm just great!" he spoke as he fired a Spiker himself "Thanks for asking!"

"I am well Commander Keyes!" The Wakandan King spoke as he dug his claws into another Sentinel.

"So John!" Carol asked as she flew circles around the trio of Sentinels that had him pinned down behind the remains of a Warthog.

"Yes Warbird?" He replied as he fired his DEP's in a calm manner despite the battle that raged.

"Are you free on Friday?" "ZZZZTTT" she asked as she fired her energy beams at the armored beings.

"Yes, I have several cases lined up."

"Oh." She simply said.

"Carol duck and cover!" Natasha yelled as she lobbed a Plasma grenade at the trio and got behind the overturned vehicle.

Warbird quickly joined John just at it went of covering the three in superheated plasma.

"Say John any chance you would part with some of these? I'll make it worth your wild." The Russian redhead asked while delivering a saucy smile.

"Sorry not in my power." He simply said before charging into battle.

Carol her and gave her a look.

"What?"

"I'll make it worth your wild?" She repeated with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up!"

Both however drew their attention back on John.

John moved forward just in time to see a pair of Sentinels make a try for the Mansion.

Having known that the students were hidden in the lower levels, he activated he´s shoulder mounted missiles and fires a single one that engulfed both units in a single blast.

"_Guess that´s a perfect field test of the missile function._"

John just shrugged and continued on, not realizing the awed women at his back.

"Fury is going to seriously want this guy on missions." Carol said while Natasha only noded.

"You know if this weren't killing machines that were formerly people I would say I was impressed in their design." Tony spoke as he fired his repulsors at an Omega.

"I'm feeling disgust actually; I should have devoted more time in reversing the process." Reed replied as he wrapped up another.

"Darling you tried your best." Sue said in comfort to her husband as she crushed another Sentinel in her force field, giving a silent prayer for the person it once was.

"She's right you know, we all tried to reverse the process Reed, we even tried the same procedure that Xavier and Lensherr used." He added as he fired his unibeam from his chest.

"I know, still I hope the men responsible for these atrocities soon meet justice."

"If the Spartan's reaction is anything to go by, I say he is about to go ballistic on them, frankly I don't blame him." Ironman finished.

After a long and tiring battle the heroes managed to finally defeat the Sentinels, thankfully with only minor wounds and no casualties.

Miranda had Redeeming help gather all the remains and placed them all in a single pile though he kept some of the more intact units for study in case they could learn something from them.

Once that was done John set off multiple plasma grenades and wasted them, SHIELD would throw a fit but it was better this way in case AIM or the Purifiers tried to gain anything from them.

From there Miranda had the vehicles and weapons collected and then both she and John decided to stick around and help with the repairs and wounded.

_In a hidden base…_

"Reverend, the Sentinels have been defeated!"

"How!"

"It was that armored man along with the Avengers and Fantastic Four, He must have warned them and brought them to give aid to the devil spawn, what´s more are agents say that he had powerful weaponry there."

"Damn his treacherous blood!"

"Orders reverend."

"Remove all evidence from the base I want nothing that could lead them to us, it seems that this round goes to the filth and their ally, but mark my words Mathew their day of reckoning is coming, God commands it!"

"Amen reverend."

"**Mark my words Spartan you shall suffer for this blasphemy.**" The Zealot thought darkly.

Unknown to him the Spartan was aware of the Purifiers many bases of operations as well as members, several of them were about to meet a much delayed Justice.

_Two days after the attempted genocide, 12__th__ police precinct…_

"Detectives Jacob Mendoza, Alfredo Rodríguez and Raphael Verrocio?" A man in a well pressed suit asked three men chatting at a detective Mendoza´s desk.

"Who wants to know?" Raphael Verrocio asked.

The man stepped aside and looked at the entrance and there he saw four people standing near the entry way from robbery homicide, two of them they easily identified.

"Are these them ma´am?" He asked one Louise Engleberg.

"Him, the one with the scar on his chin, he was the one who threatened me."

"They did it! They took my mommy away!" Karen yelled as she recognized the men responsible for her mother´s murder.

"You three are under arrest for the murder of Charlotte Anderson, come quietly or else."

"You can´t do this!"

"She was a mutant sympathizer!"

"I want my lawyer! You hear me you I.A fucks!"

All three yelled as they as they were carted off.

From there, it became a media circus, John and Miranda presented substantial evidenced of the murder as well as several corrupt members of the police who were secretly members of the Purifiers.

Through their connections with those officers they knew to be cleaned as well as many plea bargains they cleaned house.

Jennifer and Matt were called upon to try and convict the corrupt officials; they succeeded on the vast majority while those that were let off scot-free by the courts were visited by Wolverine and the Spartan, leaving a permanent reminder of broken bones, and unnecessary amputations.

They couldn´t get anything on Stryker but John vowed that if he tried to hurt Karen or the student´s again, he would make a personal visit and show him the business end of his assault rifle.

_Present time, Xavier´s…_

Both John and Miranda had come to visit Karen to deliver one final piece of news to the little girl.

It had been interesting weeks for them, their actions in benefit to a mutant child had garnered them many opinions both positive and negative. That still didn´t change things in their eyes. No matter what people thought of them they still held true to their oaths to defend all of humanity regardless of how they looked.

With them was Louise who had been told the plan and approved wholeheartedly, all that remained was ask the one affected the most by it.

"John! Nana!" Karen said in happiness at seeing her favorite people there, with her were several X-men present during the Sentinel assault, namely Logan, Ororo, Scott Emma and Rachel.

"Hello Karen, how have you been child?" the elderly woman asked kindly.

"Good! The Cuckoos have been helping me in dance class and they wish to see you."

That was another thing; the triplets had developed a fondness for the elderly woman and a bit of a crush on John, much to the Commander´s and Cortana´s amusement.

"Karen, John and Miranda have something very important to tell us." She let both the UNSC soldiers take their turn to speak.

"What is it?"

"Sweetie…" Miranda started "…when we first started to look into what happened to your mom, we found out she took out an insurance policy for you, now the reason they haven´t given you anything is because the rest of your family…well…"

"They don´t want me do they?" She asked a bit saddened by that.

"Yes, believe me if it were up to me we would have a long and hard…talk with them." She said in a tone that said talking was not on either of their minds.

"So in order to have them give you the money, you need an adult to look after you so, we talked to a very good friend of ours whose a lawyer and she said that, well John you give her the news." She said with a smile.

"She said that you would need someone to adopt you, do you know what that means?"

"It means I would get a new mommy or daddy?"

"Yes, so me and Miranda talked and agreed on the following, Karen would you like for me to adopt you?"

For a second Karen´s mind froze in lieu of those simply question.

"You…you mean you would be my dad?"

"Only if you want to Ka…"

Every psychic and empathy was soon subject to a wave of joy and happiness they had never felt before and would rarely feel again.

"**YES!**" she yelled before she tackled him and hugged the hero of the UNSC.

John simply held the crying child as tear and sobs of joy flowed.

The women present could not help but smile and tear up at the touching scene.

"Sniff…Are you crying Emma?" Rachel asked.

"No…I just have something in my eye." The blonde said as she tried to hide the evidence.

"Karen, before we do this though me and Miranda have something to show you, Ororo would some of you come along to corroborate?" He asked.

"Of course Rachel? Scott?"

"Sure I´ll go." Rachel.

"It is the least I can do." Scott said as he joined his daughter.

"What is it you want to show us?" Louise asked.

"You´ll see…" Miranda said with a hidden smirk as she held her cellular phone "…Redeeming 7 to beam up."

With that they we are taken on board the Dawn.

"You know Frost I think those two are in for an eye opener."

"Indeed they are." She said with a smirk.

To be continued…

A/N: Well guys there it is, hope you like.

Next up is the challenges between him and several of the Marvel Heroes, I´ll take ideas or perhaps have someone help me co-write it, no promises though so don´t get your hopes up.

Now what I'm thinking for challenges involve Armor against Armor, How he stacks up without it and Melee (You can guess were I´m going with that one.)

Anything else I will work on.

Next point I will try and work the Karen/John father-daughter relationship during their interactions before inserting X-23.

Pairings are still being worked on right now I've slowly introduced two of the lovely women of the X-men, who is next I have yet to decide, heck I still have to whittle it down some but I believe I can pull it off.

Now for a bit of bad news, as you know I have a Buffy/Castlevania fic, however I have run into a snag, my attempts to download or stream episodes I feel relevant for my story are being greatly hindered. Whether from site maintenance, copyright laws or other, it is quite stressing, if during the following days I shall work on delivering the next chapter prove difficult I will have no choice but to give it up for adoption or, God forbid, discontinued.

When the new chapter is up I shall inform you of my decision.

Now…onto a totally unrelated topic.

Did anyone else catch that OFFICIAL Halo 4 trailer? And the Halo CE remake? Personally though I don´t own an X-box, I now want one just to have them, that is another side project I have, personally I believe they are landing on a shield world so it may be him VS the flood again either way, the Chief is alive and is gearing up to kick ass.

Onto the reviews.

**Jacob**:

Good to hear from you.

For Karen´s powers I took, superhuman strength, endurance, I believe senses should be a must just not the tongue thing. She could use her claws to scale walls but as for camouflage that´s more Anole´s deal, the real dad side story is tempting but who could possibly file it?

Enchantress, hmm how deliciously evil, I'll have to think long and hard about that one but it does give me an idea on how to introduce him to the supernatural and magical aspect of Marvel.

Well next chapter well have several lovely ladies get an eyeful of John under combat condition, say a shirtless sweaty scene that will get their hearts pumping.

Introducing Halo characters, now there is can of worms, I agree with your points but I have yet to decide. I was thinking if I did this I might make a mixture of teams Blue, Red, Black and Jorge, By the way I will resolve some of those issues on the missing teams and some of the dead or wounded Spartans, felt like giving some closure.

**Mandalore Requiem****: **

Thanks for the choices, am still looking but will consider, liked Nagi and Ryu.

**Marc Ello:**

Good to hear from you and will consider your suggestion.

**imortal1**:

It was touch and go on shooting Karen, did not enjoy that but had to show a power according to her mutation.

I´m considering someone else for Miranda, possible candidates include Nightcrawler, Peter post OMD…kidding! I´m hooking him up with Black Cat or Carol if I don´t use them with John, but really maybe Steve give Sharon some completion or perhaps Johnny, she´ll whip him into shape.

What makes you think Norman isn´t on MY list?

If I give her a body I think I'll use Reed or Tony, Hank just doesn´t have a good track record.

**Jyggilag**:

New chap on Rise of the Dark Ones.

I thank you for those suggestions like I said I will think hard on this issue.

**Freedom Guard****:**

Pleasure as always FG, a bit sad about those Halo stories going on ice, but it´s your deal so I will simply enjoy the ride.

Stryker will get his due; you can quote me on that.

It was just too awesome to pass up those paragraphs man!

Hmm may need help if I do those fantasies, no promises though.

**cj-cold****:**

First off this is pre M-Day and Disassembled.

She-Hulk call him on that favor, that could work, will look into it.

The scene on the Dawn was from help with FG, the man is a genius in the Halo cross.

Spidey working for Halsey Investigations? I like it, will try to work on that after the next chapter, no guarantees though.

Well that is all for now.

"LET ME OUT! FOR GOD´S SAKE LET ME OUT!" came the terror filled screams of the rabid squirrel pit.

"Not until the next chapter douche bag!"

"YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!"

"Fine! Deadpool is now in a rabid Squirrel GIRL pit…who are HORNY!"

"NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!"

"Sorry about that, me and Deadpool had creative differences."

"NOT THE BALLS! FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING GOOD AND HOLY NOT THE BALLS!"

"You will see him next chapter as I try to work him in the fights."

"THEY ARE EATING MY FUCKING DICK MAN!"

There is now a large sound absorbing lid over the rabid Squirrel Girl pit.

Peace out everyone.


	10. Chapter 10

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Thank you FG for Beta reading for me, also kylelee3 I hope to hear from you as well so as to make sure the next chapter is up to standards.

Chapter 8, Part 1:

_O__n board the Forward Unto Dawn, Armory…_

"Is the armor prepped Cortana?" John asked as he waited for his partner to finish checking the armor for any irregularities in the OS while a Huragok checked for superficial damage.

"All systems are in the green Chief." She replied from her holopad, while the creature gave its version of thumbs up before floating away.

"Ready to show your stuff John?" Miranda asked as she stood by the doorway dressed in the same ODST BDU she had used during the Amazon operation sans helmet.

"Is this truly wise Commander?" He asked as he began to place the armor on himself.

"It Is only a series of tests to show your abilities, under no circumstance are we sharing armor or weapons technology…besides I think Karen would like to see her father in action." She said with a smile as she remembered how she and Louise reacted to the news about their origins.

_Flashback…_

In a flash of light the UNSC crew, three members of the X-men and the two civilians appeared in the command room of the UNSC/Forerunner warship.

Scott, Rachel and Ororo having experienced teleportation through technological, magical and biological means had no trouble with the sudden shift that came from it.

Karen and Louise however were feeling the disorientation that came from it.

Miranda and Scott steadied Louise, while he took notice of Karen.

"Easy Karen…" John spoke as he steadied his…daughter.

Daughter, the word itself felt so foreign to him…yet so right at the same time. The time he had dedicated to give her the justice she deserved, the talks over the phone or in person, every hug she gave him and he reciprocated, they all felt right to him.

For what reason he did not know, all his life he had never felt such a strong feeling as the need to help Karen. No, that wasn't entirely correct, he had felt something similar.

When Doctor Halsey was captured by the Covenant he and the others raced to her rescue, they would have broken rank if only to get her back, they had lost two of their brothers in the rescue but in the end they returned her to safety.

That day he had felt something…relief, he was relieved his…mother was safe.

Now, now here he found himself a father to a child who had suffered hatred and harassment at such a young age.

*I wonder what Dr. Halsey would say if she saw me now?* He thought.

"W-what happened?" Louise asked as she finally felt the effects of the teleportation leave her.

"Just a slight effect of teleporting from Earth to our ship." Miranda replied.

"W-what?" the senior woman asked.

"Take a look." She said as she guided her to the nearest window, she was followed by John who carried Karen and the other X-men.

The two civilians soon stood behind the glass and gazed at the Earth in all its glory.

"_My God…_" Louise let out.

"It's so pretty." Karen let out in wonder.

"Ladies as you can see me and John aren't from around here." Miranda spoke.

"You mean… you're aliens?" Louise asked with a bit of worry as she recalled the Kree/Skrull incident.

"No we're human just not from around here; let's go to the war room we can explain there." She spoke as she walked back calmly to the rear of the room before pausing and looked at John.

"John you better change, if we are coming clean they deserve to know everything about us." The Commander spoke calmly.

"Understood Commander…" He said as he put the girl down "…Karen, I'll meet you there all right I have something to do first, please behave while I am gone."

"Okay."

"We'll look out for her John." Storm asked as she stood next to her.

"Thank you Ororo, I'll see you soon." He said before he was teleported to the armor's location.

"Are we teleporting again?" Louise asked, hoping not to yet as she was still coming to grips with the odd situation they found themselves in.

"No it is not far, besides I can see you are still a bit woozy about porting there so will take a short stroll." Miranda replies in an understanding tone.

"Aww, but it was fun!" Karen spoke up.

"Easy kiddo, we'll get to do that soon enough." Scott said to his student.

"Yeah, besides once John gets back you'll be really surprised." Rachel added with a smile.

"Really?" Karen said tilting her head to said side inquisitively.

"Oh yeah, trust me it will knock your socks off."

Soon the small group walked to the room used for planning assaults and meetings.

"Where's Dad?" Karen asked not the least bit reluctant to call him that, this earned her some smiles from Miranda, Ororo and Rachel.

Her answer soon came as John came in deck out in full armor.

"Oh my goodness." Louise spoke as she brought her hands up to her mouth in surprise at seeing the man who had faced the Hulk.

"I'm here Karen." He said.

"John?" the elderly woman asked.

"Dad? You're a superhero!"

John paused a bit at how easily she called him Dad, just as how easily he accepted that title.

"I am a just a man following his duty Karen, nothing more." He replied as he took off his helmet.

"John you are as much a hero here as well as your reality." Scott said in reassurance.

John just shrugged not debating with the man since he never let his accomplishments go to his head.

"His reality? What does mean by that Miranda?" Louise asks her.

"You better sit down for this, it is a long story." Miranda replied as she took a seat at the head of the table with John on her right, Karen sat next to him and Storm next to her, Louise, Scott and Rachel in that order sat to Miranda's left.

"Before we begin let me introduce you to two more members of our crew." She spoke as in a flash of light, the Forerunner Monitor appeared.

"_Greetings I am 004 Redeeming Bias, Contender class A.I._"

Before she could speak Cortana made her appearance, dressed in a pair of jeans and black shirt.

"Hello I am UNSC A.I CTN: 0452-9, but you can call me Cortana." She said to the two women.

"Uh…h-hello." Louise spoke.

"Hi." Karen said quietly as she gave a small wave.

"Now ladies I know that this may seem much to take in but I assure you that we aren't pulling your leg, now let us begin…" With that they began to tell them an edited version of their history, no need to give the child nightmares, especially ones involving the horrors of the Covenant and Flood or the details involving the Spartan II's.

"…and once we established ourselves in this reality we decide to help out a bit with the Capes."

Both were amazed by what they had been told.

Karen admired John even more now; he was a hero to so many people.

Louise knew they were holding something back, from the way they eyed Karen it must have been something unpleasant to say the least.

"Um…" Karen spoke up suddenly "…where's the bathroom?"

"Oh I'll show her." Cortana spoke as her avatar rose from her place and stood next to her.

Karen wanted to hold her hand but it passed right through.

"Sorry sweetie but I am a hologram, though I am hoping I can get an upgrade into solid light so I can touch things."

"Oh, that's okay Miss Cortana." She spoke as she began to walk with her

"Just call me Cortana, all my friends do."

"You can call me Karen then."

Both soon left the others while talking with one another.

"Hmm, looks like she made another friend." Miranda spoke out loud.

"That is good; she could use more, even if one is an artificial being." Rachel added.

"Now that Karen's gone could you please tell the parts that you left out?" the elderly woman asked.

"Sigh" "We…didn't leave them out just for her benefit, but yours also, the war was much worse than we made it seem." Miranda spoke with a tired voice.

"She is not kidding Louise…" Scott spoke as he remembered the images they were shown "…I have seen some things in my life as an X-man, but what they faced…I wouldn't wish on anyone."

"Was it truly that horrible?" She asked as she began to regret ever asking such a thing.

"Let us put it this way, what you saw during WWII, was nothing compared to what we faced…" John spoke as his mind replayed the horrors he saw "…The Covenant and Flood took no prisoners, they did not care whether you were a soldier or a civilian, whether you were young or old, to them all you were was a heretic that had to be purged or in some cases…a meal to be caught."

"Oh God…you mean…?"

"Some of the Covenant took a liking to human flesh, and the Flood ate anything that was alive and used them as both food and cannon fodder."

Louise lost some color at the thought of that, she could also tell that John sounded tired when he spoke.

"For 30 years I have watched them destroy and burn planets to a cinder, kill millions and not care, see my fellow soldiers fall in ways that would give you never ending nightmares, but in the end we won, we survived and now we simply look for a means to return home." He spoke as a man both tired and weary but with an undertone of pride at the end.

*What must you have lived through John to leave you like that.* She thought as she placed a sad gaze on him.

"You have our help John; we will find you a way to your reality." Storm spoke as she placed a hand over his own.

Scott and Rachel gave a nod indicating the same sentiment.

"John, how did you become a Spartan? You say you are some sort of Super Soldier correct?"

"Yes, I am a Spartan II Commando, I as well as others were chosen to become part of a secret program to create an elite fighting force who would defend the UNSC from threats from within and later from without."

"As for how we were chosen and what was done to make is this way, that is a touchy subject for some, are you sure you wish to know?"

Louise knew she may regret it but her curiosity needed for her to know.

"Yes, please tell me." She replied.

John carefully told her the basic outline of the parameters used to select them, how they were taken from their homes, the training methods used, who took part and the augmentations.

Louise was shocked to say the least by the startling revelation the John basically was a child drafted to fight a war and that he was considered dead to his family and friends, more so when he explained the dangers of augmenting them further.

"You poor man…" She spoke sadly as she looked upon him "…you didn't deserve to have your life taken from you."

"Thank you Louise for your sympathy, but what's done is done. I can no longer go back to that life and frankly if I had known what I know now and how it would have affected the fate of humanity. I would have still gone through with it and made the sacrifice, one life for millions is a fair trade."

"No it isn't John, your life means just as much as the next persons and what happened to you was monstrous. I am sure that if your family knew what happened to you they would be very angry and saddened to know what kind of life you've led as a Soldier." The elderly woman replied in a serious tone.

"I am sure that could be the case, but it doesn't matter anymore, they have moved on and I barely remember anything about them." John said neutrally.

That comment left them feeling sad for him, because it gave them an idea of just how much was taken from him.

That was a prevailing sentiment among the heroes who knew of John's past, they led dangerous lives but could go back to their homes and families, but he…he could not.

He had no home to return to; no family to welcome and comfort him after 30 years of bloodshed and death, and could find no purpose in peace only in war and that too many was a sad existence, and one very few or none could relate to.

The somber mood was broken by Karen's and Cortana's return.

"Nana! This place is amazing, it looks so high tech!" the little girl spoke with wonder.

"Well it is from a more advanced place my dear." Louise spoke warmly to her, putting aside the thoughts of John's past for another day.

"Yeah but I also saw an alien near here!"

"Really?"

"She means a Huragok that was doing maintenance in the area." Cortana replied.

"Huragok?" Louise asks.

"C'mon will show you around the ship." Miranda spoke as she got up from her seat as did the others.

Karen simply walked towards John and took his large armored hand into her own.

Louise could see she cared for him very much and though she could not see his face, she knew that he reciprocated.

*Perhaps they can give each other what they have lost.* She thought with hope before she took Karen's free hand and joined them.

_End Flashback…_

After that, they decided that Karen should remain at the institute to further develop and train in her powers.

They made regular visits and made time for her whenever she asked; it was nice to watch John interact with her, she brought a side of him she rarely saw.

John was currently thinking about what he was about face in these tests.

He had studied much about the men he was facing; Ironman had just as much experience with his armor as John with the MJOLNIR. Captain America was essentially an un-augmented Spartan minus certain procedures and who had experience fighting stronger foes. Wolverine would be a challenge as he was an excellent combatant in CQC and his mutation gave him greater stamina and endurance.

What he had going for him was the fact the he was a battle hardened veteran of the most bloody conflict in human history, 30 years of constant warfare gave him experiences the others did not have, he could handle multiple foes that were just as powerful if not more so than him.

His armor had been enhanced using the most advanced technology in his reality, though not a master in CQC like Fred or Li, he could hold his own against sword wielding Elites or hammer wielding Brutes. As far as healing factor goes his, while not in league with Wolverine's or the Hulk's, was powerful enough to see him through tough situations when coupled with the nanites in his body.

Cortana was looking into boosting their effectiveness, as well as making the MJOLNIR a more effective armor, Dr. Halsey's need to better aid her Spartans seemed to carry over to her.

"_Ready to rumble John?_" Cortana said from her place in the armor after she was transferred in.

"Let's do this." He spoke as all three headed for the Hanger bay.

"Keep an eye on the place Redeeming." Miranda spoke.

"_Affirmative Commander._" The monitor replied as he floated away.

With that said they boarded the Albatross and took off.

_Stark Enterprise, Private airfield No. 12…_

Currently the congregation of heroes waited around the area, the Blackbird, Quinjet and Fantasticar were all parallel to one another in the hanger bay, while they milled about waiting for the UNSC crew.

"So Tony, what exactly are you going to have him do here?" Steve asked his fellow avenger.

"Will be mostly testing his armor against mine, weaponry, aerial maneuverability, endurance, strength capability."

"You sure that's wise Tony? The man's armor does carry a significant technical advancement over yours given these…Forerunner's adjustments." T'Challa spoke.

"You must also take into account that his armor is solely designed for warfare in hostile environments against opponents with superior weaponry." Reed added as he adjusted the hydraulic presses they intended to use.

"I know that guys, that's what I want see, I'm not putting myself against him but against the ones who made the armor, this Dr. Halsey and the Forerunners." He replied as he ran an internal diagnostic on his armor.

"And if you find that his armor surpasses yours?" Reed asked.

"Well I guess I got a lot of catching up to do? By the way Reed I went over the calculations you sent me and I made some minor adjustments." He said to the leader of the Four.

"Excellent I can begin construction as soon as we finish with these tests." Reed spoke.

"What are you taking about guys?" Spider-man said as he moved closer to the group.

"Reed and I were looking into ways to get Miranda and her crew back home, so he came up with a rather interesting approach." He spoke making everyone come close.

"You mean you found a way to send Dad home?" Karen spoke up from where she stood with the X-men.

Everyone was brought up to date with John's latest action after helping defeat the Omega Prime Sentinels. They were a bit surprised the man would go so far as adopt the little girl but after hearing her story and just how far he went for her they accepted it.

Some talked to her and found she was a very likable child; they felt bad she had to go through such a tragic event but were thankful she got some measure of justice.

Many of the women interested in the Spartan thought it was very endearing of him to do that.

"Well what we plan to do first is build a scanner if you will that will analyze them and see if they can find their quantum resonance frequency, since they are from a different reality their frequency should be different to ours."

"Okay I'm with you so far." Peter and those more scientifically inclined nodded to what he said while the others got the jist of it.

"Then I will attempt to make contact with his home reality, if I can do so and in turn they respond we'll commence the final phase which is to build a bridge between our two realities and have them go through it after we make sure that it is safe to do so."

"Sounds like a plan, think it will work?" Clint asked.

"I won't know until we try, but I am confident with Cortana's and Redeeming's help we will succeed." Reed replied.

"Hey guys! Here they come." Johnny shouted as he spotted the Albatross making its approach, each wondered why they had chosen that vehicle.

They all steeped out of the hanger and met it halfway.

Once it landed it powered down and the back opened up. Revealing both the Commander and John, the latter carrying his ever present MA5C.

"Daddy!" Karen yelled happily as she ran to meet him. John holstered his weapon on his back before she reached him and gently picked her up.

"Hello Karen..." He spoke with a hint of warmness to his normally neutral voice "…how have you been?"

Everyone watched with some amusement how John interacted with the mutant child, showing a side most of them believed he had lost.

"You know, I bet he would make a great Dad if he ever had children of his own." Kitty spoke.

"Really? How can you tell?" Jen asked.

"Trust me, I have seen those two around the mansion and I could swear it's like they really are Father and Daughter, makes you wonder when she'll ask him to get a Mommy." The young woman said eliciting a series of thoughts among the women who had an interest in the man.

Jennifer often asked herself if she would be a good mother, she knew her lifestyle as a Lawyer/Superhero often offset her personal life when it came to looking for the right man, but Kitty did raise a valid question.

*What would it be like to raise a child with John as the Father?* She thought to herself.

He had many qualities she liked, the first being he was a looker, sure he wouldn´t be in league some of the male models she went out with but he was rugged and chiseled, and that pale look gave him and exotic feel, then there were the parts of his personality that just called out to her.

He was extremely brave, she knew that not just from the images of his battles but from seeing firsthand how he charged into danger to defend not just mankind but does under his charge, the battles with the Omega Sentinels and her cousin proved that.

He was caring as evidenced when he dedicated every ounce of his time to get Karen the justice she deserved and the much needed parental guidance and love he showed her now, she wondered if he would show the same to a child born of his blood…and hers.

Rachel´s mind was on a similar tangent as she felt she shared much in common with John. Both came into a world of conflict, a lost childhood that could never be returned, trained for a mission not of their choosing, hers one of destruction and his one of preservation.

Both landing in a place both familiar and strange to them, yet persevering through it all. However she sometimes felt his weariness and solitude, yes Karen, Cortana and Miranda filled a portion of that void, and yet he still carried all the pain and sadness from seeing his brethren and close friend die during the war.

*It isn´t fair to him, why should he carry those horrible memories and not have ones of his parents and friends when he was a boy.* She thought as she remembered when he said it was a tradeoff he would of made willingly even if he had foreword of his future.

Carol was both interested and reluctant at the thought of motherhood, however looking at her history one could not blame her, the time warlord Marcus had essentially raped her in order to arrive in their world and nearly destroyed her faith in her friends and herself.

However she had risen above that barrier and others that followed, she had yet to reclaim the mantle of Ms. Marvel she once carried but only time would tell if she would ever do so again.

However despite that experience she did find Kitty´s question valid, she admitted that John was a very unique man. He had far greater discipline and dedication than most men she had work with during her stint in the Air force.

Then there were the qualities she had only ever seen in one other man, Captain Mar-Vell, like him he was brave and noble and dedicated himself to the defense of all life regardless of the danger to himself.

Ororo was like the others who found the idea very appealing, for most of her life she had never really had a family to call her own ever since the death of her parent´s when she was still young, yes the tribe that adopted her as well as the X-men filled that void but sometimes she yearned to have something more profound.

She had only ever found two men who she ever thought to be husband material, the mutant inventor Forge and the Wakandan King T´Challa, however nothing came from those relationships mostly because of responsibilities on both their parts or the passage of time.

Now here she was feeling something for a man who was so fundamentally different from them, he was a battle hardened soldier, a leader that fought alongside his fellow soldiers against monstrous opposition, yet for all his accomplishments he was an outcast who could never find a place among humanity for what he was turned into.

She wasn't lying when she told Elizabeth that she was mesmerized by his eyes, but there something else she found in him that she found attractive. She like the others had reviewed the security footage of the Purifiers attack and saw just happens when John lets his emotions out.

A part her found it morbid how he easily cut down their attackers but another was fascinated how he remained in control despite being in a great state of anger. His eyes showed as much but still he acted so collected in spite of it.

*I wonder if he could teach me how to do the same?* She thought as she remembered all the occasions were here emotions made her lose her control over her powers, it was one of the few drawbacks she could see about them.

Sometimes she wished she could be a bit more outgoing like Elizabeth or Kitty were and not fear losing control, to express herself more openly, perhaps if she interacted more with John she could achieve this.

John soon joins the group with Karen sitting on his shoulders despite his reluctance to putting her there as the MJOLNIR wasn't designed for that plus having his rifle so close to her, but she insisted so he complied after placing the safety and removing the ammo.

"Hello everyone, I trust you all came to see this demonstration?"

"Yeah man…" Johnny spoke up "…this is way better than going to the Negative Zone to see Annihilus or Blastaar wail on each other."

"I see." The Spartan replied neutrally.

"So Mr. Stark what is it you wish to test out first." Miranda asked the crimson and gold Avenger.

"I was thinking about a flight test first, and then we can see how our armors stack up in battle conditions."

"Right, sounds reasonable, so how do you want to do this have him fly around the area or something?"

Tony smirked a bit before he had his armor on board computer activate one of the airfields secret functions.

"Nothing quite that simple Commander Keyes." He spoke as several underground compartments opened and released a series of floating rings large enough to fit a man through them easily, 40 in total.

Tony sent another order and the rings soon move around the airfield and formed several patterns and sequences.

"The test is we each go through that…obstacle course for lack of a better word, and time our progress, that way we can get an idea of how we stack up in aerial maneuverability."

"_I thought you said it wasn't anything simple._" Cortana quipped getting some chuckles from the group.

"Right, well I'll go first and you follow after I'm done." He spoke as he engaged his rocket boots and took off.

At first it was fairly simple as Tony went through a series of 10 rings that were in straight lines at differing heights from one another, a third of the way the next 10 rings were set in order to force him into sharp turns and fast drops and sudden rises.

He maneuvered through them though slowing down on occasion before finally clearing that part of the test. The final part had the rings moving at intervals and patterns.

The first 5 formed a moving spiral, the next 5 moved horizontally only forming a tunnel briefly. The next 5 did the same only vertically, the next were a combination of the last two with three moving horizontally and two vertically, and finally the last ones formed a 45 degree line that change directions from up to down.

Tony slowed down a bit during those sections in order to avoid clipping one of the rings, but at the end he made it through and landed before the group.

"Well according to mi chronometer I took…10 minutes, your turn John."

"Roger." The Spartan replied as he grabbed Karen and put her down.

"You can beat that right?" Karen asks.

"Will see won't we?"

"_I've reviewed Mr. Stark's flight path, speed and maneuvers and have made some corrections John._" Cortana spoke to him mentally.

"**All right, you ready?**"

"_For you always Chief._"

With that said John activated his thrusters and nacelles and rose into the air.

"_John let's do this fast and easy, you push I steer, deal?_"

"**Done.**" He spoke and before the eyes of everyone he accelerated at twice the speed Tony had used.

Down on the ground the heroes were surprised by John's sudden burst in speed.

"Jeez! He's really pushing it." Peter spoke as he saw the Spartan begin to enter the course.

"He's going at twice the speed I was." Tony spoke as he had his scanners on.

"How can he maneuver at those speeds so well?" Beast asked out loud.

"That would be Cortana at work; they are two peas in a pod." Miranda replied as John entered the next part and began to twist and turn at high speed.

"They must have spent many years together in order to achieve such great synchrony." Steve spoke as he watched the man perform.

"Go Dad!" Karen shouted happily.

"Heh, not really Captain, from what I heard they have gone through a lot together, some of it good and…" her voiced dropped a bit as she remembered the images of the Gravemind "…and some of it real bad."

"You speak of the Flood leader." Kurt spoke as he stepped next to her.

All those present recoiled when they remembered the creature that had attempted to consume all life in the Galaxy where the UNSC crew came from.

"Yeah…they don't talk about it much but that…_thing_ really did a number on her."

"What happened to Cortana?" Karen asked.

"Something bad, but she is okay now Karen, John saved her and made sure to punish the one who hurt her."

"Maybe I should give her a hug; Dad's hugs always make me feel better." The child spoke earning some smiles from the women.

*She is so adorable.* they all thought.

"You should hold that hug until we figure out a way to make her more solid sweetie." The Commander spoke kindly.

"Hmm, perhaps we could help with that. I mean Jocasta and Vision are our resident androids I'm sure we could build something that could allow her to function in a more direct way." Yellow Jacket commented his already thinking up possible designs.

"We could create a synthetic form for her, but we would need to run it by her since she is more advanced than our current A.I's." Reed added.

"Heads up people! Looks like he's finishing up." Fury spoke as he saw John passing through the final rings.

"I'll be damned, 5 minutes, he beat me by half." Tony said with some surprise.

"I think you mean THEY beat you by half." Clint said with a smirk on his face.

"…you're just getting back at me because I embarrassed you in front of Fury." The armored Avenger replied in a deadpan tone.

"Yep, sucks doesn't it?"

"I swear Clint one of these days you are going to push me right over the edge."

"Quiet you two, here he comes." She-Hulk chided.

John touched down lightly in front of them.

"So how was that?"

"5 minutes John." Tony replied.

"_Sweet._" The UNSC A.I quipped.

"Easy Cortana, this was just a test nothing more." John said neutrally though he did smirk a bit behind his helmet.

"_Ugh, Karen I don't know how you deal with this stick in the mud._" She said through the speakers.

"Easy, he's my Dad." She said without a hint of doubt.

"_Good answer._" She said with mirth.

"So what is next mister Stark?"

"Well we might as well test our armors strength as well, and then move to offensive and defensive capabilities." The inventor replied.

"Very well lead the way sir." He spoke as they headed into the hanger towards the hydraulic press.

"Right then, I shall handle the equipment while you two do this." Reed spoke as he extended himself towards the consol and begins activating the machine.

"How shall we do this?" John asked Mr. Fantastic.

"Tony goes first, I will activate the machine and when he chooses too I will deactivate it and we check his overall strength, and you of course will go through the same."

"All right."

Tony walked bellow the slab of metal and grabbed some handles they welded on.

"Showtime Reed, hit me." Ironman spoke as he got ready.

Giving his friend a nod Reed activated the machine, and with a powerful whine it began to slowly descend, it's descent slowed do too the armored Avengers interference.

"You are at 15 tons now Tony, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good Reed, keep going."

At the twenty ton mark strain started to set in.

"You are at thirty tons."

"Hmm, I think another ten and I'm done."

True enough at that mark the strain grew to be too much.

"And mark, according to these readings you are at 40.5 tons Tony."

"Hmm, I better start on the latest version then."

"John if you will." Reed spoke as Tony exited the area.

"Hmm, I can safely say that he has me beat strength wise since my current armor at most would go at around ten tons in non combat situation." He replied.

"_True but then again you don´t go up against big powerful maniacs like him John so we might as well see how your current version stacks up._" Cortana added already going over plans to update the armor.

"You say in non combat conditions, but how much can you lift during combat?" the Black Panther asked.

"Around 60."

"I assume it is because of the higher levels of adrenaline in your body during those times."

John simply nodded and proceeded to repeat the same test as Ironman.

"Are you ready?"

"Proceed Doctor."

Reed activated the press and soon as it reached the ten ton mark he deactivated it.

"As you can see I can only sustain it at that level, though as Cortana said we have never faced anything that would require more than that outside of combat."

"Yeah but what we normally face is with weeks of separation, for what you faced and how short the periods are well…frankly I'm surprised how your armor has survived all of that and more." Tony spoke truthfully when he remembered the continuous combat the man had seen.

"That was thanks to Dr. Halsey and the teams of engineers assigned to help maintain and upgrade our armors, as you said it did not pay to have them fail us when it counted the most."

"He has a point there Tony." Steve commented.

"So I assume comes the weapons test?"

"If you follow I have prepared something for this." The man spoke as he turned and headed towards the back door.

As they walked She-Hulk stepped up to John.

"So John has then been any progress with helping Bruce?"

"I regret to say that no, Jennifer…" calling by her name after she insisted there was no need for formality between them "…Cortana can explain it better."

"_The problem is the Gamma radiation that´s in his blood cells. We attempted to create a suppressor using bio Huragok, but the radiation overwhelmed them, right now we would need to map his genetics and look for alternatives however to do that we need him on the ship in person._"

"Sadly I don´t think we will be allowed to do so am I right Colonel Fury?" Miranda asks the head of SHIELD.

"That would be correct Commander, I tried to pull some strings but the people in Washington KO´d that plan, frankly I'm surprised we´ve managed to keep them from cutting him open and find out what makes him tick." The man said gruffly.

"Yeah just what we need an army of Hulk´s running loose." Wolverine added.

"_Damn it…_" Jen said softly but John heard him and despite not knowing if what he was doing was right he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Do not give up hope yet, we have plenty of time before a way to return to our home reality is found…" he looked into her eyes as he spoke and she knew it "…We will help as best we can in the mean time to repay you for your help." He said to her, his tone showing as much confidence as he can.

"Thank you John, I just hope something can be done for him." She spoke as she placed her own hand on his.

He just nodded and they continued forward until they stepped outside once more, in front of them were a row M1 Abraham tanks, 6 in total, each separated fifteen feet from each other.

In another area was walled off and split in the middle with 20 combat drones in them, 10 in each area.

"So take your pick combat drones or we do some demolition work on the tanks." Tony said to the man.

"I believe the tanks should be first." John spoke.

"All right since you have your own set of armor weaponry I believe we should test how effective yours are in comparison to mine."

"Fair enough, if I may start first?"

"Sure you can take the three on the left."

John nodded and activated his repulsors, both popping out of the flatspace storage on his fore arms.

"_All right John let's start off with a continuous stream on the one on the right._"

"**Roger that.**"

With that said a loud whine is heard as the weapons power up and a red glow is seen at the ends. Tony activates his scanners in order to make the comparison.

"Fire in the hole." He spoke before firing.

*ZZZZAAAAATTT!* a crimson beams of energy 3 inches in diameter strikes the base of the tank, melting the armor in milliseconds; John slowly raises the beam upwards.

*CLANK!* both halves fall to the side.

"Jesus!" Fury lets out at seeing that demonstration of power.

"He melted the barrel off!" Kitty spoke in awe.

John ignores that and moves to the next tank.

"_Next up the energy bolts._" Cortana spoke, the repulsor barrels extending slightly.

John aims at the next tank and fires a hailstorm of red spheres at the tank, holes appearing where they strike, the bolts move to fast to count but the results speak for then selves.

"He turned it into Swiss cheese!" Spider-man said to everyone as he saw the vehicle was riddled with several holes glowing red and allowing them to see through to the other end.

John again ignores this and calmly turns to the final tank.

"Mrs. Richards?" John calls.

Sue snaps out of her awe induced trance as John addresses her.

"Yes John?"

"If you could please place a force field around the group, this next demonstration could cause some shrapnel to be let loose, also if any of you have sensitive hearing please cover your ears now please." He said as he released his missile pods.

Understanding his meaning, they do so while Sue concentrates and covers them as the Spartan aims at the final vehicle, and fires a single missile at it.

*SSHHOOOMM!* *BOOM!*

The tank is non-existent, pieces of metal fall harmlessly against the Invisible Woman's shield, John's shield flicker with every piece that strikes him though he ignores it.

"Is that satisfactory Mr. Stark?" John says as he turns to face them.

"Y-yeah, it is." *Dear God, if these readings are accurate the power output on his repulsors is at LEAST 10 times my own!*

John nods and steps back to rejoin them.

"I think it's safe to say John that I can't deliver the same kind of impact as you can."

"Are you sure Tony?" Hank Pym asks.

"Yes, according to the readings I obtained his power output when he fires is ten times my own." The armored billionaire replies.

*GASP*

"I know, I mean at current level I would need to disengage safety protocols to fire even a third of that."

"But how? What could possibly power his suit to get that kind of result?" Reed asks out loud.

"_That would be miniature star that is housed in the power plant._" Cortana spoke with some pride in her voice.

"A…star? You have an actual star powering that suit?" Beast asks completely flabbergast, though he isn't the only one as the ones with scientific backgrounds are amazed by such a thing.

"_Yes, before shutting down Offensive Bias gave us the means to create a power source that could power this suit for a lifetime._"

"The Dawn as well if powered by the same method, and believe me I was just as shocked and surprised as you." Miranda added.

"Incredible, is this another Forerunner modification?" Reed asks with equal parts curiosity and excitement.

"Yes it is. That is just one of the many things the Forerunner's were capable of."

"Truly it must have been an incredible achievement to harness such power." Beast spoke in awe of them.

"_True but remember Doctor McCoy that, for all their achievements they were still capable of mistakes, some of which cost them dearly in the end._" She reminded.

"For all their advancements they fell victim to their own hubris…" John spoke solemnly "…but by learning were they went wrong we can advance towards a better tomorrow."

"Hmm, true learning from the past often yields better results to the present and thus the future." Kurt adds.

"Listen I am well up for some philosophy as much as the next guy but can we please keep this show rolling?" Hawkeye interrupts earning a glare from Jen.

"You just don't know when to keep quiet do you?"

"Look who's talking." Was his rebuttal to her.

"Why you little…!" She lets out before attempting to strangle him, or at least she tries as to as Hercules and Thor subdue her.

"Hold fair She-Hulk! Thou know the archer's love of mischief!" The Asgardian prince spoke.

"I am going to ring your neck!" She yells.

*This reminds me of the time I faced Hippolyta, though I believe she was not this fearsome.* Hercules thought.

The argument is shut down by a high pitched whistle…that oddly enough is traced back to John.

"_Sorry about that but we really need to keep the action moving guys._" Cortana spoke clarifying the origin of the whistle.

"Right well combat drones it is." Tony spoke as he led them to the area that held the robots.

"These machines are used by us to simulate combat conditions, I had them program for basic attacks, punches, kicks and grapples."

"Shame we couldn't make a portable version of the Danger Room." Havok spoke.

"It's on my to do list." Beast quips earning some chuckles.

"Well let's jump in and see what happens." Tony spoke as he entered the area on the left while John entered the one on the right.

The others stood above an observation tower placed for their benefit.

"This should be interesting." Carol spoke as she and her team mates observed the two get ready.

"Hmm, John appears to have pulled out a pair of combat knives." Natasha noted.

"Think they can handle the drones?" Clint asked the Commander.

"Sure, we had Redeeming Bias make those from Titanium/Vanadium mix and laser sharpened, trust me they will make an impact." She replied.

"Just how proficient is he with them?" T'Challa asked as he looked at the man.

"Well…as you know he is pretty well versed in all forms of combat so I have to say he can do some damage, though according to him he isn't as good as his fellow Spartan Frederic. Or Fred-104 as he is known, he was considered the deadliest in Knife Combat, in fact despite his weapons training Fred was known to favor Knives more than any of the other Spartans. And he is the only one known to be equal to John in other respects."

"Just how good was he?" Bobby asked.

"Very good, I saw records of him and I got to say you give that man a pocket knife and he will gut you before you can blink…oh sorry Karen."

"I'm not a baby you know! I saw worse in movie I saw last night with Iceman."

"What! Bobby you said you saw her to bed!" Storm yelled.

"I did!"

"Before or after the movie?"

"…after." He whimpered under her heated gaze.

"What was the movie?" Rachel asked knowing she was not going to like the answer.

"…Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Withering further under the combined glare of both of the women.

"Oh I shall inform John of this." The weather controlling mutant scolded, earning a pair of fearful looks from both the child and adult, unknown to them John had heard this through the MJOLNIR's audio receivers.

"They're about to begin." Fury spoke as he looked at the two armored men.

_With Tony…_

Tony silently activated the drones and all began to circle him.

He activated his repulsors just as they rushed him.

He fired two pulses at two on his left before ducking under a right swing and delivering a right uppercut that took its head clean off, followed by a back hand to another attempting to tackle him from behind.

Rolling between two other drones his forearms reveal two missiles, he fired just as the two he passed turned to face him.

*BOOM!*

Two rushed him on both sides but jumped back at the last second allowing them to crash into each other before he grabbed them by the neck and smashed them together.

The last two had their chests blown open by two well placed repulsor shots.

"Not bad if I do say so myself." He said to himself.

*Wonder how John did?* he thought as he mentally commanded the video feed be transmitted to his suit.

*Good thing were recording this…holy shit!*

_With John__, at the start of the test…_

John held the one in his left hand in a reverse grip for stabbing while the other was held for slashing, upon seeing the first move he was already in motion.

Not one step taken when he was already in motion ramming the left blade into the head of a drone, his right followed with an angled slash that carved a path through the torso easily.

John removed the knife and rammed both of them into the shoulders of another drone and then snapped the head with extreme force, once more grabbing the knife before it could fall.

Sensing an attack for behind, he ducks down and did a leg sweep that dropped two drones onto their backs, and rises just as they fall.

One drone was in front of him and charged but he countered with a charge of his own. Using his forward momentum he did a shoulder toss on it, once it landed behind him he simple brought his foot down without looking and was rewarded with a crunch of metal and plastic.

Turning around he saw the two drones dropped with his kick get up; he preempted any attack by launching both his knives at their heads, hitting dead center.

Seeing six more approach he switches to his CQC skills and ran at them at high speed, already his mind entering Spartan time as he closed in.

The first drone received a forward palm thrust to the chin the rip the head off.

The next one received a round house kick with the same result.

The third threw a left hook but in the Spartan view it was too slow, so he batted it away, brought his foot down on the knee breaking it in half and proceeds to snap its neck.

The fourth is grabbed by the arm and pull directly into John's knee with enough force to make it elevate itself high enough he gets under it, grab its torso and ram its head into the floor.

Seeing that the final two were making a try for him he obliged them by running at them, the one on the right had a lead on his compatriot so John acted by jumping feet first, hooking his left arm around the machines neck and drop kicking the other into the wall.

Once he landed he closed his arm around the robot and crushed its neck before getting up. Seeing as the final machine struggled to get up he ran at it and once he achieved a perfect distance he rammed his right foot into its head, giving new meaning to the phrase "between a rock and a hard place".

A sickening crunch was heard as his final opponent headless body fell.

All of this occurring in less than three minutes, leaving a group of awed individuals.

He calmly picked and sheathed his knives, before joining them.

"And you tell me there´s a guy whose better than him!" Bobby asked in shock.

"_Technically John has no special field; he is one of the more balanced of the Spartans. The female Spartans were very good as well, Kelly-087 who was one of John's best friends and a member of John's unit Blue Team, was the fastest of the Spartans, even by Spartan standards no one could catch her, she could run without the MJOLNIR at 62 kph on foot. Plus she has an inhuman tolerance for pain, in one battle she had suffered moderate bleeding in the liver which led to low blood pressure and high fever, and a collapsed lung, but she fought for two straight days with those injuries._" Cortana replies as they approached as well.

"She fought for TWO days with those possibly fatal injuries?" Storm replied in shock at the news.

"Oh yes, John might not match Kelly in either area, but he had his own share of battles to push him to breaking point. Back on the first Halo ring, he fought three days non-stop and in the course of all that, he gained a number of injuries, including a severe concussion, multiple third degree burns, overextended muscle trauma, several compound fractures, and those are only a FEW of the numerous injuries John had to deal with in his career."

"You sure you want to face him Logan?" Kitty asks him not sure it would be a wise course of action after seeing that display.

"Hell yeah." He growls out, as in his mind this just the kind of fight he wants.

*We´ll see if you're just as good out of that suit bub.* He thought.

"That was incredible John…" Carol spoke "…It looked like you were hardly trying at all."

"Thank you Carol, but I did find the experience somewhat lacking." He replied.

"Oh Chief…" Miranda shook her head in amusement at his response "…sometimes I wonder if your idea of fun is diving headlong into battle and not giving a damn."

John decided to humor her be holding up his hand and separating his pointer and thumb a tad.

"Impressive John." Tony spoke as he joined the group.

John shrugged before looking at Karen.

"Karen, I heard what was said, I thought I told you not to watch that movie after you asked if you could."

"Yes you did Dad." She replied with her head bowed down in shame.

"You disobeyed me Karen, I'm afraid you´ll have to be punished…no TV for a week and we are not going to Coney Island next Sunday."

"But Daaaad!"

"No Karen…" He said firmly "…you told me over the phone that you would not watch that movie, you lied to me."

"I´m sorry." She said as she started to cry.

"I know you are Karen but I want you to know that I'm not angry just disappointed, I hope you learned your lesson from this."

"Yes sir." She said dejectedly.

John dropped to one knee and looked her in the eye despite the helmet blocking her view of his face.

"We´ll go some other time, but you better behave yourself ok?"

She nodded promising herself to do better.

"All right."

Kitty lean over to Rachel and whispered into her hear.

"_Tough but fair, don´t you think?_"

Rachel had to agree with her there.

"_And he says he wasn't sure he could be a good Father figure, he's a natural._" She replied.

Getting back up he turned to look at Stark.

"So is this the final test?"

"Just one more, defensive capabilities." He spoke as he activated another function from the area they were in,

From the floor arose several assortments of weaponry, a minigun, a rocket launcher and cannon hooked up to a power supply.

The UNSC crew was not impressed.

"That's it?" Miranda asked.

"Pardon?" Tony asked, his voice laced with confusion.

"I assumed you had taken into account the Chief's energy shields, those weapons won't make a dent in them."

"You're kidding…" Cyclops speaks up "…they're that good?"

"Sure in fact we brought two of our special toys just for this particular test. Cortana, John if you would please go get them and our safety precautions." She said to them.

"_You got it._"

"I shall return shortly." John said as he engaged his thrusters and took to the sky.

The Commander then turned towards the heroes.

"Now then if those of you with superhuman strength capable of moving those unused tanks would please push two of them back a good…50 yards we can make a proper fire test."

"This should be interesting." Carol spoke as she flew towards them and picked up the one on the left.

Tony and Thor volunteered as well and went towards the vehicles, easily lifting them and moving them to the specified distance.

As they flew away the group heard the distinct sound of the Warthog's engine, followed closely by another much louder sound, one distinctive of tanks.

"Is that…?" Peter started to speak but was cut off when he saw the cause of the noise.

"Ladies and gentlemen allow me to present to you the M808B Battle Tank, also known as the Scorpion." Miranda said proudly

"Oh my stars and garters." Beast let out at seeing it.

"As a good friend of ours once said, this here is 66 tons of straight-up, HE-spewin', dee-vine intervention." She quoted one of A. J's quotes before continuing.

"It's 10 meters long and 3 meters wide, its hull is a ceramic-Titanium alloy. The main weapon is the M512 90mm Smooth Bore High Velocity Cannon as well, in this case at least, a secondary weapon in the form of a M247T Medium Machine Gun."

"It has been one of the most effective weapons even before the Human-Covenant War, falling behind against faster vehicles such as the Ghost, it can take a pounding and still get the job down, it comes in different makes and all it needs is one person to operate it through the neural interface."

"Wait, you mean to tell me that only one person drives and fires this monster?" Fury asks.

"Well person or in this case A.I, right Cortana?"

"_You got it Commander._" She replied through the speakers.

"I have to say Commander Keyes; you have some very impressive toys." Fury spoke before turning to look at the Warthog. "What's this do?"

"Why don't you break it down for them John." She spoke as the Spartan got out of the Warthog.

"As you wish Commander, this is the M12G1 Warthog LAAV…" He said as he moved aside to show the vehicle to the heroes not familiar with it "…its primary role is anti-armor support but as those involved in the Sentinel attack can testify, it can be devastating to infantry forces as well."

"Got that right…" Natasha muttered as remembered the shock she experienced by how easily the weapon tore through the ranks of the human-machine hybrids.

"In essence it follows the same principles as a MAC gun, firing high velocity slugs with deadly accuracy, speed and power."

"Allow us to demonstrate, John please pass out the headphones we made, you can trust us when we say that this will definitely cause some damage if you aren't prepared." Miranda spoke as John took out a box from the warthog and passed out the safety equipment.

"Everyone got one?" She asked getting several nods and yes.

"Then we can begin, Chief if you and Cortana would do the honors."

John gave a nod and aimed the M68 while Cortana aim the cannon.

"Fire in the hole." He just as he pulled the trigger.

The powerful hum and blast of the M68 was overpowered by the Scorpion firing.

The results however spoke for themselves as the Gauss round tore through the tank like wet paper and the tank shell detonated in spectacular fashion obliterating the antiquated vehicle in face of the more advanced version.

"Damn! Now that is what I call firepower!" Fury exclaimed.

"As you can see these were quite effective against Covenant infantry and mobile artillery, of course we needed every edge we could get in the war."

"Sooo now what?" Johnny asked.

"Now we test out the Chief's defensive capabilities." Miranda spoke as she headed to the Warthog just as the Spartan dropped down.

"You're joking right? You're going to shoot HIM with THOSE!" She-Hulk yelled.

"_Don't worry we've done this before when we tested it the first time, right Chief?_" Cortana spoke calmly.

"Yes, though this time better safety precautions will be taken." He spoke neutrally.

"What do you mean better safety precautions?" Sue asked not liking the fact that this was done previously at all.

"I should have taken into account the recoil and backlash of the explosion, I did not which resulted in me striking a wall in an awkward position luckily I had not lost feeling in my legs so no major spinal injuries were incurred."

"Oh that is so reassuring…" Carol spoke sarcastically before continuing "…John you don't have to do this I believe you…hell I'm sure everyone here believes your armor is top notch compared to his." She said gesturing towards Ironman.

"Trust me on this Carol, nothing bad will happen." He reassured her with his utmost confidence before he took to the skies.

The next few minutes were tense as they waited for John to land near the wreckage.

"_He's in position Commander._"

"Fire on my signal." She said from behind the Gauss cannon.

It was a tense moment for all of them, some wondering why they were allowing this to happen at all.

"_Armor is in lockdown._"

"Load the S1 and fire after me."

"_Affirmative Commander._"

"…Fire in the hole!"

The M68 fire first releasing the bolt at the super soldier, 10 seconds later the Scorpion fired the special round design to cause splash damage against infantry forces.

A resounding boom, followed by a fireball was seen in the distance.

"John, do you read? What is your status?" Miranda spoke into the comm.

-I'm on my back, all systems in the green, please unlock the armor.—

"He's ok!" Karen shouted happily, causing a wave of relief to envelop the group.

John soon returned, his shield bar had recharged after a while as it did he was pleased that once more the armor withstood the light barrage it went through.

As when they had tested the new armor on the Forerunner homeworld the MJOLNIR shields were weakened slightly by the Gauss, and dropped with the S1 explosion, but the metal took the brunt of the damage with little to no damage.

He was glad the MJOLNIR armor held, though he remembered it was far from indestructible. The battle with the Hulk proved that, frankly he wondered if any weapon could match the sheer power the creature possessed, he doubted it but still he would be prepared should another encounter occur.

He soon landed in front of them and Karen immediately latched on to him, he knew she was afraid he might get hurt during the tests, and he had told her not to come but she insisted fiercely and he found himself accepting that decision.

"I'm all right Karen; I have done worse than that before." He spoke to her.

"Really? Like what?" she asked innocently.

"I jumped out of a spaceship to Earth without a parachute."

"Wow! How did that happened?"

"Let's get the vehicles into the Albatross first then I'll tell you." He said as he walked towards the Warthog.

She went to the other side and jumped into the passenger seat.

"You do that John, I'll meet you dare."

"Roger Commander, Colonel Fury where will you want to do the next tests?"

"The X-men offered their place, told me about a little workout Logan does in the surrounding forest, here…" He said giving him a datapad "…info is all there." The head of SHIELD spoke.

"Understood, Cyclops do you mind if I spend the night there to get a lay of the land."

"Not at all John, you want us to prepare a room for you?"

"No I'll camp outside, get a feel for the place." He aid neutrally.

"All right, but pack warm it gets a bit chilly at night." The Co-Headmaster of the school replied.

John nodded and turned to Karen.

"Hold on tight."

"Sure Dad."

With that John started the engine and drove away, followed closely by Cortana.

"Well guys I can safely say tomorrow will definitely yield some interesting results." Miranda spoke.

"I'll say if today showed anything is that man is just full of surprises." Carol spoke up.

*I wonder just what else he has in store for us?* She thought.

"Well guys we'll see you tomorrow, you better be in top shape Captain, cause going up against a Spartan is no easy feat with or without the armor." She said to the man.

"I'll be sure to prepare accordingly ma'am." He replied.

"That goes for you too Wolverine."

"You just make sure he's there darlin' I'll handle the rest."

"Whatever." *What an asshole.*

With that said they began to walk back towards the Albatross, many wondering what tomorrow would bring.

To be continued…

A/N: As you can see things are well underway, John obviously has some advantages over Tony as his armor can take more of a beating and can pack a meaner punch, he may not be able to lift as much as him…yet but as the story progresses so will he become more than capable of dishing it out with the Marvel villains.

Now regarding the next chapter, obviously it's John versus Captain America and Wolverine, and as kylelee3 has broken it down for me they will have their work cut out for them seeing as John is in no way a push over to anyone regardless of their abilities.

On the relationship front next chapter will see one of the lovely ladies take the first step and make a play for him, while another will offer him something that will definitely leave a mark in the way they interact, it is my hope that I can whittle it down as the story progresses, I will take any opinions on the matter and consider it.

My favorites, but by no means the final choices are, She-Hulk, Rachel Summers (or Grey), Psylocke, Black Cat, Storm and Ms. Marvel.

Considering options for introducing John into the supernatural, my current ideas are having Ullik the Troll crash into Avengers mansion and start tearing up the place, have a vampire ambush him and have Blade show up or have Doc Strange appear asking for help against Dormamu.

Also once I have finished the tests I will place this story on hold to work on some of my other stories because then I am going to introduce John to Spider-mans enemies, have a certain sexy thief show up and assassinate the murdering psychopath that is Carnage, and yes it is happening regardless of what people say.

Though I may, MAY save Toxin, but it is NOT bonding with John.

Now onto the reviews:

Hunter113: As you can see above things are going to heat up between the ladies and John, as far as the introduction of more Halo characters, you could say the countdown has begun but what will happen when the two worlds meet is anyone's guess.

redskin122004: Don´t know if I´m on par with him, I don´t consider myself as such but I thank you for the comment none the less.

To my anonymous reviewer: What happens to Karen you ask? Trust me when I say I have a plan in the works. And sorry but I don´t think giving the Marvel crew some Spartan armor will be in their future…but I will give it some thoughts, no promises though.

arandomreviewer: you say that like it's a bad thing, being a comic/book/movie junkie is not hazardous…as long as it is within reason, which would make me a bad example for you, also just saw Capt America plus Avengers trailer…AWESOME.

cj-cold: Thank you for your kind words, hope you enjoy this one and as you can see things are going to get interesting further along the road.

Freedom Guard: Well what can I say but thanks, hope to hear from you soon and if you need any help on your stories I'm free, and will do my best to help.

Jacob: Well can´t say I've given any thought on introducing her real Father, much less making him a villain or mutant, but I do have plans for Amora, since introducing John into the Supernatural aspects of the Marvel U is a bit tricky.

Well next chap should be….

"Let me out! FOR FUCKS SAKE LET ME OUT!" the ever so annoying voice of Deadpool screamed from the cover hole where he was left last chapter for defying me.

"Pool shut up!"

"Oh God! NO! NO MORE SQUIRREL GIRLS! I SWEAR ON BEA ARTHURS GRAVE I WILL BEHAVE!"

"Sigh" "Fine but if you don´t I will erase Taco Bell form this fanfic, have you murder her over and over again and leave you in that pit FOREVER!"

"I SWEAR MAN! JUST LET ME OUT! PLEEEAAASSSEEE! Oh GOD NO MORE!"

"Done."

"BLINK!"

"I´m free! Sweet freedom! Oh god I need a bath!" The Merc with a mouth that cannot be silence spoke.

"Remember pool, if you go back on your word…well the girls are going to get reacquainted with you, if get my meaning." Cue sinister music.

"Oh yes master I am your ever humble servant."

Next chapter MAY include him, no promises, especially if he does not behave.

Peace out.


	11. Chapter 11

Land of heroes.

Before we begin I have an issue to address regarding certain reviews I have recently received, both privately and publicly. Now as I have commented in other stories I am currently working, earning my degree and when I can, write.

Because of this I sometimes take time to update my fics, but that does not mean I have abandoned them, it simply takes a while to get through them all but I do get to them eventually. I ask for your patience and thank you for it.

Now I don't know how others writer's deal with their public but I like to believe I am receptive to certain requests when I feel they contribute to my work…however I do not like it when I am ordered to deliver at someone else's schedule or manipulate my story to likings of someone else.

I work at my pace and I place what I feel is right for the story. If this is not satisfactory to certain readers then by all means you may look elsewhere for your entertainment, but do not come to me thinking I am some nobody that will take that.

Respect is earned not given, when you order me like some dog you disrespect my work and me. I will let it slide for now but I will not a second, you have been warned.

I apologize to those who took their time to read this message but I felt it had to be done just like the person who flamed me in my Belmont fic. Now on with the show as they say and thank you for your time.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Thanks to my Beta reader for helping me once more, hope to read more of your work soon, you ever need help just ask.

Chapter 8, part 2:

_In the surrounding forests near the Xavier estate…_

It was calm and peaceful morning around the woods that surrounded the safe haven for mutant's known as the Xavier's Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

This calm was only broken as its interdimensional visitor ran through its trees and bushes for the third time in the day since dawn.

John ran around the area that Logan used whenever he felt the need to push himself, hence the name "Logan's run", it was a route only used by himself and occasionally Psylocke who had the Canadian mutant's permission, when she wanted to blow off some steam.

John was currently wearing on a set of military issue track pants, combat boots, and a simple sleeveless shirt as he ran the course. He was enjoying the workout and the privacy for now as it brought him back to memories of his past.

It reminded him of the woods on Reach where he and the others were airdropped when they were 8 and where they learned the lesson of Teamwork when they took on the disguised marines much like a pack of wolves Déjà lectured them about. It made him reminisce about his past with his Spartan brothers and sisters; he wondered how many made it after the war and especially if his team was all right.

Blue Team was the premier Spartan team; very few could ever say that they weren't hard pressed to beat them during war games. Those that did were made better prepared for what came during real time battle.

Blue Team was, in John's perception, one of the more flexible teams since they had quite the roster in the day, and they had accomplished quite a number of feats together, though not all of them ended well in some respects.

Each of his teammates, those living and dead added something that made them a formidable force when they faced the Insurrection, and when they fought the Covenant.

Sam was the muscle of the team, being the tallest and strongest Spartan and John's oldest friend next to Kelly; to this day he carried the weight of his death on his shoulders. That was the hardest day of his life when the war with the Covenant broke out, leaving his best friend behind to his death, but he also balanced it out with the fact that Sam did not hesitate to do what he could, he knew that Sam would have given him his own MJOLNIR had the situation been reversed and he had been the one hit with that Plasma bolt and had his compromised.

Linda, the lone wolf of the team, was the best sniper in the bunch, give her a sniper rifle and a target and she would hit the bull's eye every time and she could wait for as long as necessary as well. The battle in the Unyielding Hierophant was the finest display of sniper prowess he had ever seen and he had no doubt that Linda would have considered it a good test of her skills.

Kelly, or the Rabbit as she was affectionately called, no one could catch her once she cut loose and ran for all her worth, she often took the role of bait to lure unsuspecting enemies into an ambush. And the ability she had to endure pain put just about everyone to shame; even he was amazed at her durability and endurance at times.

Fred was more into the direct approach when dealing with his enemies, the man was a master with the blade and knew the right spots to strike with it. The Elites always had a tendency to go after Fred whenever he pulled out his blades due to their martial culture only to soon to regret that choice as they were either torn apart or sported new holes in them.

Kurt, the only one to ever truly beat him during war games, he had a sixth sense when it came to ambushes and planned appropriately for them. He owed him for the rescue back when his team was sent to recover some nuclear warheads form insurrectionists even though in the past he was not too comfortable with Kurt's desire make friends with anyone in the UNSC ranks.

It was a truly a tragedy he fell during an EVA and a faulty slipspace drive, and yet another lesson to him and the others to ALWAYS check their gear before any operation as an unexpected failure on his EVA pack lead to him being killed.

John did miss them and hoped that those of his team and the other Spartans were well, with luck the invention Dr. Richards and Stark told them about yesterday would aid them in returning home and better aid the UNSC in dealing with the Loyalists.

Thinking about returning home however made his mind wander to Karen, what would happen to her when he left? Would she ask to come with him? Would he refuse her? What would his world reaction be to her would be considering her being a mutant?

He had a duty to return to the UNSC…but he also had a duty to Karen, the question that plagued him the most was…which deserved more priority?

He shook his head and left such thoughts to a later time as he approached the campsite he set up last night. He took out a canteen filled with a drink that was a mixture of proteins, mineral and vitamins that helped maintain his body's high metabolism.

It was not known for its taste but did help him regain his energies, with that said he decided to practice some Tai chi to cool down. Though not as fluid as Li it did grant him some measure of tranquility and serenity and it was something that kept him at top form as well.

_Meanwhile…_

The three teams and guests had arrived early in order to get the proceedings started sooner. Having been alerted to his exact location thanks to Cortana keeping an eye on him, Miranda, herself, Karen and a few volunteers went to fetch him.

Cortana, through the use of a portable holopad Miranda carried, guided the group to the campsite while in human size. Miranda was dressed casually despite the possibility that student's who had encountered her would ask why she was near such recognizable people; she wore blue jeans, long sleeved red blouse and a black windbreaker.

"So how are you all this morning?" Miranda asked them.

"Oh fine…" Rachel spoke "…things have been thankfully peaceful as of late."

"Same with us…" Carol spoke up next to the Commander "…it's nice to have day where the fate of the world isn't on the line, shame it never lasts." The blonde finished.

"How are you guys?" Jen spoke up.

"Well…at times it feels strange." She spoke as she tried to elaborate.

"What do you mean?" Karen asked as she held her free hand while they walked.

"Well Karen…back where we come from we didn't have time to relax, because of the war we had to fight." She said as she tried to explain without the need to go into the gory details of the war.

"I can't imagine living with that kind of stress." Ororo spoke as she recalled the images of such a war with such fearsome and bloodthirsty enemies. And to be on the losing end would have been a real strain to anyone, let alone facing eight different races all at once.

"We tried to remain hopeful but at times things were Hell, John got it the worst from what I heard and seen firsthand." Miranda spoke as they closed in.

"How so Commander?" Natasha asks.

Cortana chose to field this one.

"Well Natasha, when we first arrived on the first Halo installation we got into one fight after another…I think he only rested one night while we were there, and we where there for a week so you can imagine how drained he must have been once we blew the place to smithereens. Fighting for seven days nonstop with only stims to keep you up is pushing it…not to mention the injuries."

"Whoa!" Jen spoke in surprise "…I heard about running on fumes but that takes the cake."

"Then there was the battle in the Forerunner Dreadnaught, he had to fight wave after wave of Covenant troops one after the other, salvaging any weapons he could find and also facing what would be considered an interstellar army all by himself. Oh yes John most definitely earned some rest after so much, of course he'll never admit it."

She finished with an amused smile as she remembered how hard it was to get him to relax.

"Well that's not fair! I'm going to talk to him and ask him to rest."

Karen spoke up with determined tone, earning some chuckles from the women and A.I.

However Karen decided to ask for some help and walked up to Jennifer.

"Miss Walters?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Could you go out with my Dad for one night?" She asked honestly causing everyone to stop and look at her.

"What? Is there something on me?" She asked as she looked at herself.

"Uh Karen…Heh…not that I mind…" She-Hulk started as she knelt to look at the girl "…but why did you ask ME." She finished, though if she were honest with herself she had no problem carrying out her request.

***Well I was going to ask him out to that dinner party I was invited to.*** She thought as she remembered that it was one of the cases involving a hit and run. Since the victim was the son of one of New York's better liked citizens who made many contributions for the homeless and needy, he wanted to thank her for helping them out.

"Well…you're pretty and strong, and you did help me with what happened to my Mom."

"I see…tell you what I'll ask him and if and see what he says 'kay?" She asked with a smile and getting one from the small girl, she stood up and showed a victory sign to the others and received some glares from Psylocke and Rachel.

Ororo decided to change topics in order to avoid a catfight, though she was hoping that Karen would have asked her instead she chose not to make an issue of it…yet.

"So what do you believe he did while he was out here?"

"Training most likely, Spartans are constantly training to keep themselves fit and ready for any situation, apart from that I heard that they usually work in the armory on their weapons, armor and equipment with near religious zeal, but considering their missions that is no surprise. Plus meditating though I don't know any of them who do that, I know John doesn't do that though and prefers more physical activities to burn off the excess energy." Miranda replied.

Cortana then chimed in with a smile on her face that spoke of mischief.

"Yep, John loves to train and he keeps in shape in a very dedicated fashion. So don't be surprised by what you heard...plus it at least gives you ladies an idea of the levels of stamina he has for certain activities you and he could have. THAT should make your time teaching the birds and the bees as it were to him entertaining and SO worthwhile right?"

Some of the ladies could not help but react as some blush bright red, others raised their eye brows, and Jen smiled wolfishly as well.

"What do you mean birds and bees? Why would Dad need to learn about animals?"

Karen asked not understanding the true meaning of her words.

"You should have your Dad tell you about it…very soon in fact."

Cortana said to the small mutant with a smile on her face, already picturing in her mind the look on John's face the very second Karen asked him that. John did get a full education about human interaction and procreation as well as everything else, but that was only as a side subject as he and the others were trained to fight and did not have time for that sort of thing.

***John is screwed now.*** Betsy sent to the others while desperately trying not to laugh at what would be a very awkward conversation. The others shared in the joke.

As soon as they arrived to the campsite area...they now had a chance to see John in action. Though in this case he was shirtless and covered in sweat as he began to practice one of the harder styles.

John stretched and pulled his arms and legs as he began his katas. He was so focused that he was unaware that he had an audience, Miranda, Karen and Cortana moved away to allow the ladies who admired John to get a GOOD look at him.

Rachel blushed at the sight of John like this and couldn't help but feel her thoughts heading in an oh so naughty direction. She was happy that neither Scott nor Emma was around, since who knew how they would react! She even worried how her mother would have reacted if she learned how...attracted she was to John.

Ororo felt her heart beat faster, she looked at John and she felt like she was watching a beautiful predator move with grace and power. Now she really regretted not making a move sooner and vowed to find a way and a chance to do so in the future.

Betsy smiled warmly and couldn't help but admire the way John moved; he made just about every athlete she ever met and dated look sickly. She had set her sights on him and would definitely make more of an effort from now on.

Carol felt her face burn and she could not help but recall how she managed to touch him when treating his wounds. And now she was getting an eye full and what a sight it was.

Pamela couldn't help but feel her animal side and feminine side get VERY heated and excited. She had seen male models before, but John was in a totally different league. He was a whole other type of handsome. She was almost purring.

Natasha couldn't help but feel her mind begin to think VERY Interesting images as she watched John move. She was accustomed to the male form, but John had a deep appeal and seeing him like this added more fuel to the fire.

Jen could not help but grin even more as she licked her lips slowly. The images that came into her head would have been used in an adult movie, and she had EVERY intention to make those images reality when she could get the chance.

Miranda saw the looks and couldn't help but shake her head in amusement. If the other UNSC personnel saw this, they would have been very jealous or amused. And she had no doubt that the sergeant major was still alive he would have laughed his butt of and even try to impart advice to his Spartan friend if he could on how to court the ladies.

Cortana spoke then.

"They have it bad."

"No kidding, I think it would take an act of God for them to move away from that." She replied.

"Huh?" Karen spoke not understanding what Cortana meant.

"Oh nothing Karen, you should call him and tell him to stop or he'll miss out on all the fun."

"Oh! Okay…" She replied as she walked to her adopted parent.

"Dad! We're here to get you!" She spoke loudly as she walked towards him.

He snapped out of the flow he was in upon hearing her and indeed saw several of the female members as well as his crew watching him while Karen fetched him.

He went to the tent he set up and wipe himself of the sweat he built up before grabbing a T-shirt and putting it on, he did not miss several of the ladies groan in disappointment though why he had no idea at this time.

"Good morning Karen." He spoke as she stood in front of him.

"Morning Daddy, you ready to workout with your friends?"

John chuckled a bit as he considered what he was doing more than a simple workout.

"Yes, just as soon as I change into something more appropriate."He spoke as he went into his tent and put on a clean shirt, showering could wait after he finished the tests.

John picked her up and placed her on his shoulder before walking towards the others.

"Good Morning everyone." He said politely to the group.

They returned the greeting and began to walk towards the others.

"So John, how do you feel about facing a fellow Super Soldier?" Pamela asked.

"It should be a unique experience; I have studied him as best I could for this match." He replied honestly.

"I'll say it's unique…" Carol said as she suddenly recalled seeing Steve in the Gym as he prepared.

"Cap seems almost excited with the idea and he's the calmer one of the Avengers." She finished.

"And what were you able to determine from your studies?" Natasha asked as she wished to see what conclusions he came to as she, some of the Avengers, Fury and Steve himself wondered how the two stacked up.

"Though we are both from different times and different methods by which we were turned into what we are now, I believe it will be a good match. I know I have an edge given my augmentations when compared to his, however he has more experience fighting more powerful opponents."

"Hmm, looks like you gave it some thought." Carol said as she walks next to him.

"He who knew himself and his enemy shall find victory in every battle." He replied.

"I see you have read the works of Sun Tzu." Natasha spoke in approval.

"It was required reading at the academy, if we were to be soldiers we needed more than just brawn if we were to succeed as Spartans. Not to mention we studied other subjects such as politics, languages, and science so we'd be better prepared for anything."

He spoke as he recalled the many lessons in strategy, teamwork and other areas Dr. Halsey and Déjà deemed necessary.

"So you're also super smart?" Karen asked with childlike innocence.

"I wouldn't go that far sweetie…" Cortana said with mirth "…this caveman here has more guts than brains."

"If I recall correctly you aren't all that great either, do you remember installation 04?" He asked in return with a bit of a smirk.

"You won't let me live that down will you?" She said with a glare and a pout to which John replied with a slightly larger smirk.

"Someone has to keep your pride in check."

"What happened?" Rachel asked in curiosity.

"It was when we first arrived to the Halo for the first time, I left Cortana in the control chamber and she decided to investigate while I dealt with certain party crashers. At some pointed I needed to get somewhere fast so she accessed the teleport grid, she did managed to get me there…on the ceiling where I proceeded to land on my head."

He finished earning some laughs much to the embarrassment of the A.I.

"I keep telling you it was an accident!"

"So…we know you've done your research on Steve, what about Logan?"

Black Widow asked as she wondered what he thought about one of the few men in her life cared for like a parent.

"That one would be more difficult, the man's mutation means he has greater endurance and stamina than me who has an artificial healing factor. Add in the fact that he has faced fierce foes such as the Hulk and lived shows he can handle himself."

John spoke as he went through the information they had on him.

"His Adamantium skeleton means his blows are stronger and attempting to attack areas such as his head or shins is inadvisable."

"However when pushed hard enough the man let's his instincts take over and loses his self control, it makes him more dangerous but also more predictable. In that sense he would be the same as the Brutes, anger them and they become fierce berserkers, but they become easier to predict though harder to take down…even their leaders are not immune to that and I've fought them more than once in my career."

The other heroes could not help but agree to some extent, having seen the brutality of the Brutes or the Jiralhanae as they were known; they were not the least bit happy with the idea of facing them. They could be defeated but they were not to be underestimated either.

They soon arrived with the others who waited around their vehicles, the students crowded around the area amazed at seeing so many heroes at the school.

One group was easily recognized as the New Mutants.

"Check it out guys!" Noriko Ashida AKA Surge spoke in awe at seeing the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Spider-man at the school.

"Wonder why they're here?" David Alleyne AKA Prodigy asked.

"Maybe they came for a game of baseball?" Jay Guthrie AKA Icarus spoke in humor.

"I kind of doubt that Jay..." Josh Foley AKA Elixir said as he neared with his girlfriend Laurie Collins AKA Wallflower "…though stranger things have happened."

"True…we have had our fair share of strange encounters." Sofia Mantega AKA Wind Dancer added to her teammates comment as she recalled the crazy things that happened in their time as the New Mutants.

"Hey…aren't that Karen and her Dad?" Laurie asked her teammates as she pointed towards the Father-Daughter in the lead of several female heroes and the members of the UNSC crew.

"Forget that! Is that woman glowing?" Nori spoke as she spotted Cortana.

"What is she?" David asked mostly to himself.

"Maybe you should ask her Alleyne." A cocky voice asked behind the group.

"Oh great, it's Keller." Nori said in a sarcastic tone as the leader of the Hellions and his team appeared.

"Nice to see you too Ashida." The telekinetic spoke with arrogance at the blue haired girl.

"Julian, please…" Sofia spoke to her somewhat romantic interest "…it is too early for this."

The teen immediately backed down as he did not want to upset his potential girlfriend.

"Heh, I'm just playing with her Sofia."

"_Yeah and I'm Bigfoot._" Nori whispered to David.

"Hey guys what's the deal with all the capes?" Santo Vaccarro AKA Rockslide asked with both curiosity and excitement.

"Don't know." Wallflower replied.

"Why is Karen with them? And aren't those the Detectives who fought those whack jobs?" Cessily Kincaid AKA Mercury asked out loud.

"Who cares?" Julian snapped as he never liked being around the man, something about him put him off after the incident when he saw the guy eliminate Stryker's people with extreme prejudice.

***Guy's a psycho is what he is.*** He thought as he saw him and wanted to stay well away from the man.

"Hey! I think he's gonna fight Captain America!" The stone skinned teen spoke as he saw them heading for the training mat Logan used to teach self defense.

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I think Santo is right." Brian Cruz AKA Tag spoke as he ignores the indignant Hey from his friend.

"Let's go guys!" Julian spoke as he ran towards the scene, followed by an equally excited Santo.

"Ugh! I just know nothing good can come from this." Brian said as he and the other Hellions followed. The New Mutants hesitated before doing the same.

_Several minutes earlier…_

"Good morning Chief." Steve greeted as he saw the man come towards them.

"Captain Rogers good to see you as well."

"So are you ready for our bout?" Rogers asked as he and the others walked towards the area where Logan taught self defense classes.

"Yes sir, I assume you are as well?"

"Well not as much as you I would assume since even the only information we have on your abilities is with your armor on and those records you showed of your training."

The Sentinel of Liberty replied as they arrived.

There were several X-men waiting there, he recognized Gambit, Rogue and Nightcrawler…and there stood a new one he hadn't met yet, a green haired woman in a purple suit with cape.

"Greetings Herr Mendez."

Kurt said as he saw the man close in on them followed by the others. He never called him with his number; Kurt said that he was not some nameless machine but a person and hence deserved to be treated as such.

John had no problem with that and always called him by his name in return.

"Good morning Kurt, Rogue, Mr. LeBeu…and you as well miss." He said to the woman as he put Karen down next to him.

"I'm Lorna Dane, though in uniform they call me Polaris…so you're the one everyone is talking about…" She spoke as she held out her hand "…it is good to meet the man who helped defend the Institute and one of our students."

"It was the right thing to Miss Dane…" He replied as he shook the hand though he was careful not to hurt her "…I have little to no tolerance for men like Stryker and his so called Purifiers."

"Please call me Lorna; you earned that right after what you did."

"Morning John, you ready to rumble?" Rogue asked with a smirk at what was about to unfold.

"As prepared as I can be."

"Well take Ol' Gambit's advise friend, Logan he be dat good in a scuffle but tend to lead with his fist mo' than he's head."

"Shut it Cajun!" Logan growled though he was used to Gambit's sense of humor, and he did jump in with his fist more than most. But that hardly meant that he was stupid either.

"I'll keep that in mind." John spoke to the Cajun mutant while ignoring the glare Logan sent his way.

"Before you begin…" Reed spoke as he pulled out a device that seemed like a hand held metal detector connected to a tablet computer.

"I would like to scan both you and Commander Keyes to determine your quantum and spatial resonance frequencies to determine where your home reality is located." The leader of the four requested.

"All right." John spoke as he stood still while the man waved the device over him horizontally and vertically.

"All right, now you Commander Keyes." He asked as he stretched towards her and repeated the same.

"Excellent, with this I shall begin the search for your reality as soon as we return to the Baxter Building."

"How long do you believe it will take Doctor?" Miranda asked.

"Hmm, hard to say, it depends on where your reality stands in the spatial ladder, the farther away it is the more time it would take to contact them…that reminds me I will need some target coordinates to accurately pinpoint where the message will be sent." Reed said to the two.

"Cortana send the coordinates for the Forerunner home world, if we're lucky Reckoning Bias will pick it up and find some way to relay back to the UNSC or come up with a plan to help us."

"Done and done Commander." Cortana replied as she sent and encrypted message to the Baxter Building, Redeeming and herself had made sure to check for any intrusion programs after their encounter with the Latverian dictator, thankfully none were found.

"Well then let's get this show on the road, Chief time to show your stuff."

John nodded as he removed his shoes and socks as he stepped on the tatami mat.

Steve did the same despite wearing the uniform as he felt it necessary to respect the teachings and traditions involved when using such a training area. He left his shield with Janet and T'Challa while he tested himself with the Spartan.

Both stood facing each other, Steve in a loose boxing stance with his right foot leading in. John reciprocated the stance before he and the Captain began to circle one another.

"They are studying each other." Hercules said out loud.

"Indeed, truly this shall be a fine duel between the two." The thunder God replied to the Grecian deity.

Steve started the fight by launching a left-right punch combo at John, followed by a right spinning backhand. John ducked under the punches and the back hand by dropping down for a sweep kick faster than Steve could follow.

"Ugh!" Steve was unprepared for the speed his opponent presented as he fell and was surprised to find a fist aimed at his face upon regaining his bearings.

John backed away however as this a simple spar to him, in actual combat he would have caved in the man's head in, though he did take this spar seriously.

"Do you wish to continue?" He asked as he backed away.

"Yes." Steve replied while getting back up.

***I didn't even see him move!*** He thought as he got ready.

The others shared his sentiments.

The Captain soon moved again and started off with a spin kick to the left side of John's torso, He flipped over the kick and threw a kick of his own to the abdomen.

"Oof!"

"Steve! You okay?" Jen asked as she watched the man get back up, though this time he was more weary.

"Jeez, I haven't seen Cap taken down that fast in years." Hawkeye commented.

"Yeah, I think only Pietro would have followed John's movements." Janet added.

"It's a good thing he isn't wearing that armor of his or else Steve would be toast."

Tygra said as she remembered that the armor made the Spartan even more deadly.

"Actually John was holding back." Cortana spoke calmly as she watched her friend. That comment got a reaction as the heroes looked at Cortana in shock.

"He's what!" Peter shouted

"John is holding back…considerably I might add." The UNSC A.I spoke.

"By how much?"

Fury asked as he looked back to the two and could clearly see the Spartan was by far faring better than Steve.

"I'd say 70%. If he went full throttle, then he would have crippled Steve in a very short span of time, only the other Spartans would match or surpass him as far as I know, though Sangheili and Jiralhanae are the ones who are able to match and surpass John and the other Spartans while in armor no less.

"Actually, when John was still a teen and recovering from the augmentations in the Atlas, a UNSC carrier, he was training with weights and left the gym afterwards, only to be accosted by a squad of ODSTs, and it did not end well."

Fury was curious and spoke once more.

"How bad are we talking about here?"

"I´ll tell you later, but it was…unpleasant for them." She said while she directed a concerned yet hidden look at Karen who was watching the fight.

They all wisely chose not to ask until later when the little girl was not present.

"Uh…Logan?" Kitty looked to her mentor but he just gave her a look that clearly said he was going through with this.

"Drake…" Wolverine spoke to the jokester of the team.

"Yeah?"

"Set up the Danger Room, we're going to need space."

"Right, you got anything you want in particular." He asked out of curiosity, Logan said loud enough so Karen didn´t hear him.

"I want a cage; don't care what kind just put one in." The feral mutant spoke in all seriousness that gained everyone's attention.

"Logan…" Cyclops was starting to protest but Logan beat him to the punch.

"Don't get in my business slim, this is between me and him."

Scott let the matter drop and just hoped things did not end up badly between the two.

Back with the pair of Super Soldiers, John decided to start off this time and ran towards Steve before delivering 3 kicks to the lower leg, mid-section and head. Steve evaded the low kick, blocked the second one with a wince and ducked under the high kick and lunged for the single grounded appendage and pulled it back.

John made no sound of being affected by the drop; however he was aware that the Captain was attempting to grab him in a Judo hold while he was on the mat by the way he maintained hold of his leg and going for his arm.

John countered by pulling him towards him sooner than expected and flipping him over thanks to his greater strength.

Steve rolled and got back up, but John once more charged him and attacked too fast for him to compensate since John barely felt winded. Steve tried another kick but captured the leg and twisted while going down causing his opponent to fall once more.

Landing on his back Steve had no time to recover before John slides in next to him, trapping his right arm between his legs and his neck in a headlock. Steve thought the hold, but with no leverage and the Spartan using more of his enhanced strength he simply could not, he used his free arm to tap out.

John released him and stood up calmly while the blonde massaged his throat.

"Are you all right Captain?"

*Cough.* "That…will teach me to get cocky…heh…good move John, I'll have to remember that one." He said with a smile as he held out his hand, John pulled him up and nodded in respect.

"Guess this old warhorse still has something to learn."

"I wouldn't say that sir, you merely weren't completely informed of my capabilities in relation to your own."

"True enough, still…" Steve spoke as he headed were he placed his footwear while John did the same "…would you be interested in sparring with me, help me keep my edge while learning something from a new generation of soldier?" He asked.

"I would have to check my schedule but I don't see the harm in that." John replied as he began to place his combat boots on.

"Excellent, it would be good to face someone who can push me to my limits and not try to take my head off." Steve joked as he really could better himself with John's help.

He walked towards Janet who held his shield for him to take; as he took it he suddenly had an idea.

"John…"

"Yes?"

"How good IS your hand eye coordination?" The WWII hero asked as he kept the shield in his arms.

"_Is he suggesting what I think he is?_" Tony whispered to Carol who nodded slowly.

"Fairly accurate sir, though if you are suggesting what I think you are, then I would need some targets." He spoke.

"Well we are heading to the danger room, so we can set up something there." Scott spoke.

"Then please lead the way Scott." John asked politely.

They all soon left with the exception of two teams of young mutants who were stunned by what they saw.

"Dude…was I seeing things…or did I just see Karen's old man kick Captain America's ass?" Santo asked with complete surprise.

"Yeah he did, and did it like it was a cakewalk to him too." Wither replied in an equally shocked tone.

"Oh man! That was awesome!" The golem like teen spoke and the other mutant teens with the exception of one brooding Telekinetic had to admit that the battle was impressive. They all knew of Captain America and had seen him in action, but to see this guy take him on and win was a whole new thing entirely

"Do you think that he's a Super Soldier like him?" Surge asked David.

"He has to be, I mean how else could he beat him so fast? I'm not even sure we saw him go off at a full tank yet."

"He could be a mutant." Sooraya suggested.

"I don't think so Dust…" Icarus said to his friend "…I get the feeling that he isn't a mutant, I mean sure there are mutants who can do what he did but if he is one…"

"Why isn't he here at the institute or is part of the X-men?" Cessily finished.

"Who cares the guy is still a psycho…" Julian muttered.

"Oh? Is wittle Hellion afraid of the big scary human?" Surge mocked with a smirk.

"Oh up yours Ashida."

"Hey David, think you can use that super brain of yours and peek at them." Santo asks.

"What?"

"Dude, I heard he was going to take on Wolverine in a cage! That would be sooo awesome!"

The others thought over and agreed that it would be interesting.

"Fine…I'll see what I can do, but this better not be like the time you, Brian and Keller asked me if I could tap into the security feeds for the female faculty showers." David said loudly as he recalled just how angry Frost and the other women were when he reported that little gem.

***Bro code my ass! No way am I getting in trouble for those nuts.***

Naturally the girls were not aware of this and, and with the exception of Sooraya who merely frowned, pounced on them.

"You bastard!" Keller yelled as used a telekinetic bubble to shield them.

_With John and the others…_

John along with Carol, Rachel, Steve, Fury, Cortana and Miranda waited for the elevator to rise after the others went first towards the danger room, as they waited Rachel decided to ask the Spartan something that has been on her mind for a while.

"John?"

"Yes Rachel?" He asked while the others looked on.

"Back when Louise and Karen were showed the Dawn and who you really were you said that you couldn't remember your childhood…" She spoke while others were surprised by the comment as it was the first time they heard of this.

"Yes, I recall the feelings I got whenever I thought of my parents but who they were or what they looked like is a blur to me." He replied neutrally, while Miranda and Cortana already knew this the heroes not present where surprised by that comment.

"You don't remember your family?" Carol asked sadly.

"I remember that my Mother loved me very much and smelled of soap, I recall that my Father was proud of me though I cannot recall the reason." He replied though he wasn't entirely honest as he recalled that the feeling came when he spoke to Parisa back on his reality's Earth.

A part of him wondered what happened to her during the attack on Earth, he hoped she was all right; his brief encounter with her led him to believe her a good soldier and person.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was thinking…you've help us when the Purifiers and Sentinels attacked and you don't see us as freaks or outcasts, so I thought to myself "he should be repaid for all he's done." So if you would allow me, I could use my powers to help you at least regain your memories before you became a Spartan."

John, Miranda and Cortana were stunned silent at her offer; if she were anything like Emma she would have used her abilities to read their minds.

Miranda and Cortana both looked at the Spartan as he contemplated the offer to regain something of such value as his forgotten memories.

***Would it truly make a difference? I have lived without them for so long, what need would I have for them? It wouldn't change 30 years of my life.*** were some of the thoughts in his head.

"I will…have to consider your offer Rachel; it's still kind of you to offer." He replied while giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

She placed her hand on his while looking into his eyes and nodded.

They soon arrived to the control area where the X-men programmed their combat simulations, the Danger Room was as big as a football field, it seemed harmless but given the advance technology of both earthen and Shi'ar origin it was anything but.

"Mr. Drake is it possible for you to program the simulator with targets? We wish to test John with his hand eye coordination first." Captain America asked the ice wielder.

"Sure, I can do that." Robert replied as he manipulated the controls and several targets appeared below.

12 human shaped figures stood randomly in the central area.

"Thank you, Mr. Summers if you would please show us down."

"Sure."

"Can I come?" Karen asked.

John thought it over and decided to humor her.

"All right, but be on your best behavior." He said to her as he held her hand and followed the two outside.

"Okay, the squirt is gone now so what the hell happened between the Spartan and these ODST's you told us about." Fury asked bluntly as it had been bugging him for a while now since he first heard of it.

"Okay first off don't call her that…" Cortana spoke with a mild glare directed at the man getting some chuckles from the women and impassive look from him "….and second its better if I show you while telling you." She finished as she projected a holographic image of John's memories.

"John was fresh out of receiving his augmentations and under microgravity therapy to adjust." She spoke as the images showed John at age 14 entering the gym.

"I still can't believe his fourteen…" Clint spoke "…I swear he looks older."

"That's the achievement Dr. Halsey and CPO Mendez were aiming for when they bred the Spartans, the perfect soldiers." The UNSC A.I said as the images continuing with John going to several machines to work on, his however showed confusion.

"What's wrong? It looks like he's having trouble." Sue asked.

"Like I said they were sent to adapt to their new bodies, they were stronger and faster now, they reacted faster than normal humans did."

The image showed just that as John went to the punching bag and began to strike it faster and faster that only Hercules and Thor could only follow. He moved to another part of the gym confusion still there as he punched another bag only to gain the same result.

Understanding soon came when he realized what was done to him. John was looking to leave when four ODST's came in, from the way the ignored him one even going so far to shove him aside.

"Nice bunch aren't they?" Bobby asked sarcastically.

One of them went to the weights followed by a spotter; however John had removed the pin as a test for his speed yet forgot to reinsert it. The disks fell with a loud clatter.

John apologized but they would have none of that.

"I'm not too sure on the details since it was before I was created, but I do know that John tried to avoid a confrontation with the ODSTs, but they were not letting up."

As if to prove this they circled him and one had him in a headlock while two at his sides grabbed him by the arms, the one in front of him prepared to strike him.

John freed one of his captured arms and cold cocked the one in front, easily breaking his nose after that he freed himself from the headlock. Before things could escalate further a fat sergeant came in and from the looks of things wasn't happy his boys were getting trounced.

"Soon he was in a boxing ring with one of them with the Sergeant and three others looked on. John was soon forced to fight and it was the end for the others. John proved that even though he was only recovering, he was not to be looked down on."

John stood in the center of the ring with the largest of the four, the other three watching with arrogant smirks. Those soon died as the ODST was attacked first a blow to the jaw, then John easily pinned the man´s arms to his chest and with his free hand struck the ribs, broke the man´s knee and with more blows the man was dead before he hanged on the ropes.

The others soon attacked after witnessing the results, what followed was a massacre. The one with a bloody nose armed himself with an iron bar his intentions quite clear, he was the first to attack and had his wrist shattered when John sidestepped and countered.

Not releasing his first opponent John let loose a sidekick at a second attackers groin, the men watching the images cringed as from the expression on the hardened soldier face he was not going to have children any time soon or if ever.

"Talk about nutcracker." Fury muttered.

John then took the bar easily and swung at the third and final attacker´s neck so hard he flew over the ropes, given the relative ease he used when lifting it was a safe bet the man was dead before he hit the ground.

"He ended up killing two of them with his bare hands and severely crippling the others who spent months in the medical for reconstructive surgery and to um…clone some damaged equipment if you get my meaning."

She said in reference to the man who was clutching his crushed anatomy.

"That was why there was a good deal of bad blood between the ODSTs and the Spartans, since John was still fourteen and they were hardcore elite ODSTs and a cut above the regular Marines and he killed them like they were nothing." She spoke as she ended the images with CPO Mendez entering the room.

"And that was when he was in full throttle to boot…so Steve is actually lucky that John was not going on a full tank, even more so now that he is an adult and his abilities have grown since then."

Fury whistled while the others were looking on at the fight with their eyes open wider somewhat.

"Was that…" Ororo found herself struggling to say the words but still pushed forward "…was that the first time he ever killed anyone?"

"Yes Storm, it was in self defense and in accordance with the rules of engagement so he could not be prosecuted. Which in hindsight was a good thing since at the time the Spartan II Program was to be kept under wraps and out of the public eye. And for a number of good reasons since you already know that it was already breaking more laws than most with what was needed to remold John and the others."

"_My God…_" Peter let out softly as he was shaken by the images and words.

"Hmm, truly John is a Spartan through and through." Hercules commented with some pride as he recalled the ancient Spartan's way of manhood.

"Aye, he would make a fine addition to the ranks of Valhalla should he fall in battle." Thor added.

"You guys are nuts, he shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place..." Rachel snapped at the two "…He should have been in high school flirting with girls living a peaceful life not one filled with blood and guts! And then having to fight in that…hellish war…no one deserves that!"

"Our apologies fair lady, but what you see is not what we see…"

Hercules commented calmly as he truly did understand the woman's words.

"Yes it is indeed tragic the Spartan's denial of family and friendships with those outside the realm of warfare, but what we see is a noble warrior dedicated to the protection of the innocent and just. And we have seen that his actions saved many fine warriors lives' and he has given hope to those who though only death awaited them."

"'Tis true, tho' we may not be nothing but myth in his world it does not mean valiant men such as John are lacking, we know this to be true fair Rachel Grey. Think not on his personal losses but of his many sacrifices as he upheld his ideals and honor. He deserves that much as well."

Thor spoke in a calm yet rational voice.

"I would gladly stand by his side in battle if such a day comes when all others fall and only he remains."

"Indeed old friend, I have no doubt that many others in my world would say the same." Hercules spoke as both agreed the man deserved respect.

The others agreed that John deserved more than pity for he endured, they all turned to look down at the proceedings as the four entered the room.

_With John and the others…_

"Do you think you can pull it off Dad?" Karen asked as she sees Captain America hand his shield over to John after explaining what to do.

"I believe I can manage, stand clear either way." He spoke as he hefted the shield easily on his arm and got a feel for it, he knew that this was not just any shield as the metal contained properties that were none existent in his reality.

He took careful aim and with a throw launched the shield at the first target.

*CLANG!* it toppled the target before bouncing back at John. As it did John eyes focused on it, much in the same way when Dr. Halsey used a coin to test him.

Just as it reached him John's arm entered the leather straps beneath it effectively catching it. However instead of stopping he move clockwise and hurled it again, this time it struck three targets.

He repeated this until all targets were down and he held the shield close to his chest.

"Most impressive John, aside from me you are the only other man who has ever managed to wield the shield effectively."

"I believe the phrase 'it's all in the wrist' comes to mind Captain." John said as he returned the object to its rightful owner.

"Well let's get up there Logan is probably getting antsy to fight you." Scott spoke as he led them out.

They all soon returned and some of the hero's were impressed with John's performance.

"That was some nice aiming there John, maybe next will see how you manage with my bow." Clint spoke with a smirk.

"Well if you ever retire Rogers I won't have to look far for a replacement." Fury spoke with some humor, though some wondered if he was really joking on that matter. John was more than able to take Steve's place if it came to that.

"Somehow…" Miranda spoke up with some mirth in her voice "…I doubt Master Chief America, will have the same impact as Captain America." She said with a chuckle some of them reciprocated.

"Okay can the chatter people, we have a fight to get too." Logan spoke out gruffly as he walked out and headed to the room.

"How do you stand him?" Miranda asked with a sour look.

"Through will and a prayer. And even with those things, I still try to find a way to keep calm about it." Scott replied tiredly.

"He isn't that bad…" Kitty spoke up in his defense, though from the looks directed at her they weren't sold on the idea "…really, he isn't."

"Uh…he is gone right?" Bobby asked cautiously.

"Yeah, why?" Spider-man replied.

"Well…you know how he asked for a cage?"

"What did you do Bobby?" Lorna asked her boyfriend, knowing his habit for comedy when the situation didn't call for it.

"I had to improvise a bit."

Lorna just gave him the look which was more than enough to make him confess.

"You remember that time I brought you here and used the danger room to watch the Mask."

"Yeah…" She replied as she recalled the Professor and Scott giving him the riot act for misusing the room…though she did find it cute that he would go that far for a date with her.

"Well I did the same, but with something else."

"What did you use?" Miranda asked.

"Let me show you." He spoke as he pressed several keys into the console.

The area shifted and soon it was an arena sized auditorium with a squared ring in the center and a very large cage above it.

"You used a Hell in the Cell match!" Johnny spoke loudly while some of the others were stunned.

"It was the only thing I could think of on the fly!" Iceman said in his defense.

"Cool!" Karen shouted loudly "…ooh can Dad's intro music be the Rock's? He´s my favorite."

It was at that point that Logan entered the room and gaped, Bobby having decided to roll with what he had conceived had given his on intro music, in this case Stone Cold Steve Austin's music evidenced by the sound of glass breaking and bass guitar blasting through the speakers.

"DRAKE!" Logan shouted as once again he felt that Iceman was messing with him…again.

-I had to improvise! — Bobby quickly spoke through the speakers.

"So help me Drake, there won't enough of you to fit in a body bag after I'm finished with you!"

- Ah suck it up ya mook and get on with the damn thing! Oh…uh sorry kid. - Ben spoke before he apologized to Karen who said it was okay in the back ground.

"Fine!" He yelled as he walked to the ring while the music blared.

Up with the others John was preparing to leave…however Jen decided to follow, making stop and raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Hey…every wrestler needs eye candy." She said with a wink as she took him by the arm and led him away.

After a minute Betsy decided to follow.

"Where are you going?" Tony asked.

"Where else? To get ringside seats of course." She said with smirk.

The other looked at each other and followed though Bobby and Lorna remained to see that everything went as planned…and of course to get snacks.

"Sometimes I wonder why I am still going out with you Bobby." Lorna asks with amusement.

"You said it was because I make you laugh and because I said I like seeing you smile." He said honestly.

"You always knew how to cheer me up." She said with a smile.

As they all left the two behind Peter decide to ask something that had been bugging him for some time.

"Cortana, can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

The masked hero had always been curious about the other Spartans, hearing about Fred was an eye opener but he was sure that the other Spartans were also different from John. After all, John was supposed to be the balanced one in comparison to some of the others.

"What about the other Spartans, I heard about Fred already, what about some of the other Spartans?"

This stopped them as they chose to listen in as they too were curious about the others.

Cortana smiled a bit and decided to show them some files, and the first image was that of another Spartan armed with an SRS99C-S2 AMB Rifle and with the designation of 058.

The Spartan removed the helmet of the MJOLNIR to reveal a redhead with her hair cut short only up to the neck, in the same style as Rachel with emerald green eyes which were showing seriousness, and calmness. The others were surprised by that and Scott could not help but notice some vague similarities to Jean, and the same could be said for Peter as she looked like a serious version of MJ.

Clint spoke next.

"Who's that?"

Cortana replied.

"This is Linda-058, and is considered as the finest sniper in the Spartan II's, and was a core member of John's own unit, Blue Team. John considers her the one who makes being a sniper look like a work of art and she's the only one he considers the strongest emotionally out of all of them."

Fury replied to that.

"Really? Why is that the case?"

"Linda's the lone wolf of the team and is the only one who does excellent work alone which is something to talk about since all Spartans with the exception of Gray Team work better as the team."

"Of course that doesn´t mean she doesn´t get along with the others, she and John have worked together for many years and they trust one another with their lives, she always has their backs and went it counts she can be a truly formidable opponent."

"Most snipers as you know usually have a spotter/security partner with them, but Linda could do everything that a sniper team can do and she can stay there for longer as she uses the teachings of Zen to help her in waiting for that one shot to turn everything around.

"Her abilities are so great that at more than one engagement she shot her weapon and took out a pair of targets so fast and none of the other Spartans figured out who she shot first. John's faith in her skills was confirmed many times and if she was here…she would give Hawkeye or even Bullseye a run for their money."

Clint raised his eyebrow at that and even Natasha was curious as the archer spoke.

"How good is she?"

Cortana replied to that as she played the file on the mission on the Unyielding Hierophant.

The heroes watched in utter shock and amazement as they saw the battle that involved Linda and even Clint was flabbergasted by what he was looking at. Once the video was over, Ororo was the one who spoke out what they were all thinking.

"She was able to do…all of that?"

Cortana nodded and replied.

"Correct, Linda shot down seven Elite Banshee pilots upside down with her sniper rifle in one hand while on a cable over seventy stories, and the only way to take out said pilots was through an opening the size of a quarter, and through at least nearly a foot thick of armor, electronics, and more. And that was in broad daylight but she angled herself in a way that made her invisible to a force of at least a million or more Covenant forces."

Next came the image of another Spartan though in this case it was another woman without armor on, she have deep brown hair tied into a small ponytail and blue eyes, like Linda she bored a seriousness expression.

"This is Kelly-087, or as she is known to the others, the Rabbit."

"Why that name?" Karen asked though she found it cute.

"Because she is the fastest of the Spartans, after the augmentations she was clocked at running at 62 KPH without the MJOLNIR on, John broke that record by going 102 in the mark V and tore his Achilles tendon to do it. She is built for speed and could probably beat a Cheetah in race."

"Dam…I mean Dang, I bet Pietro would love to get acquainted with her."

Clint quipped, getting and amused shove by Carol while making sure he didn´t say inappropriate around John´s daughter.

"Also she has the highest pain threshold of them all; she was the one who took the longest to come out of the augmentations which as you know were…unpleasant. To further prove this during the Fall of Reach she and the others had to jump out of a burning Pelican several miles high without parachutes. She was injured but showed no signs to what extent."

"How bad are we talking about here?" Johnny asked.

"Real bad, she had bruises, broken ribs, a lacerated liver and a collapsed lung, and still she got up to fight for at least two days straight." That earned some shocked expressions and made them wonder what drove someone to fight in those conditions.

"Was she okay?" Karen asked with some worry that was mirrored n some of the others faces.

"Oh she was fine sweetie, Dr. Halsey made sure to make her all better." Cortana said with a soothing smile.

"As an interesting side note, Kelly is John´s oldest friend next to Sam, they both took his death hard as they were the ones who were the last to see him as they left the Covenant vessel as it exploded. She accepted it in time but John still feels he should have done more."

Cortana then changed the image to another Spartan II who carried a MA5B Assault Rifle and soon removed his helmet and to allow the heroes to see a young man with black hair and blue eyes who had a calm but amused smile.

"This one is Kurt-051 and is known to be the leader of Green Team; unlike the other Spartans Kurt happened to be rather sociable and liked to get to know his team mates and those outside of the Spartan II forces. That might seem normal to some but Kurt's fellow Spartans and John were not too keen with what Kurt was doing."

Betsy spoke at that moment.

"Why is that?"

"You have to keep in mind that almost all of the Spartans were guarded and private people with the exception of those they knew and trusted as well as each other. Kurt was one of the exceptions with the other being Jorge-052 who was the heavy gunner of the team he was in."

"Kurt however was a highly skilled Spartan and a great leader and was even considered by Dr. Halsey and Chief Mendez as one of the more skilled leaders, with the latter saying that Kurt would lead the Spartans as the whole, though Halsey thought John was more suited which we now know was correct, though Kurt on occasion acted as his 2IC."

"Kurt's other ability was being able to detect ambushes, calling it a bad feeling he would get. John and Kurt would usually spar with one another in team missions and Kurt usually won those missions since no matter how well made the ambush was, he was always able to foil it. One could say that he was a living version of a mine detector."

The heroes were looking at the images and that was where Rachel spoke.

"How did John change his opinion of Kurt?"

"It was when Kurt was sent in to replace Sam who was killed in the war, John was not too sure about it, but after Kurt not only foiled an ambush meant for them by the Insurrectionists but rescued them from the enemy, removed their neural restraint collars, and got them out without incident, John changed his mind…Kurt was lost however during a mission in deep space, his loss was hard on the others, including John, which is why the Spartans insisted that they all would check their gear themselves before and after a mission."

"There were other notable Spartans in the group and each brought something that made them as a whole the most effective unit in the UNSC, though in their mind they saw each other as family than comrades."

"That must be one heck of a family they have going there." Ben spoke as he remembered them saying how close they were to one another.

Cortana sighed as she recalled another notable Spartan though not for the right reasons.

"Yes but like everyone knows, every family has a black sheep…and the Spartans were no different." She spoke as she showed images of a young man with grey hair and oddly red eyes.

"This is Soren-066, he was very adept at blending in his surroundings and would have made an excellent candidate for one of the infiltration teams had his body not suffered irregularities given the procedures performed on the Spartans."

"What happened?" Steve asks as he can tell there is a story there, one without a happy ending.

"Because he could not serve as an active member he was placed along with others in other areas that may benefit from their work, he was not pleased with this and someone used that resentment to make him betray the UNSC and side with the Insurrectionists."

"Oh dear, that must have been a real blow to the others and John, what happened to him?" Ororo asks.

"He disappeared after the ship carrying himself and the infiltrator was shot down, no one saw him ever since, but the others were far from pleased when they learned of his betrayal. In their hearts and minds he is dead to them and no longer is one of them. John especially as he saw his actions as spitting in the face of everything they fought and bled for, along with the others who did not make it, and that is one of the only times I know that John would be extremely furious at a fellow Spartan."

"Man, I hate to see what would happen if they met up again." The Human Torch said as they resumed their walking towards the room.

Down in the entrance to the Danger Room, John and Jen were just outside waiting to enter when Jen decide now was the perfect time to ask John out.

"Hey John what are you doing Saturday night?"

"Nothing to my knowledge Jennifer, why do you ask?"

"Well…I was invited to a party by a client I helped out and it says bring a guest, I know it isn't your thing but I was hoping you'd be my date for the evening."

"Hmm, are you sure you wish for me to go with you? I wouldn't exactly fit in with the crowd." He said honestly.

"Hey neither would I, let's face it big and green doesn't exactly hide very well in a crowd." She said he a smirk on her face.

"…All right, I do owe you for helping out Karen with her case, and I make sure to repay my debts." He said with a small smile.

"Trust me it will be great, and if you don't feel comfortable with anything you let me know I'm not out to ruin anyone's night."

He nodded and soon entered the fake arena just as the sound of music came out.

-IF YOU SMELLLLL… WHAT THE ROCK… IS… COOKING!—

"Ha ha ha, well I guess it appropriate to call you the people's champion." She said as she led him down the ramp.

Behind them the others arrive just as the music starts.

"Thank you Mr. Drake!" Karen shouts and waves at the control booth.

Bobby naturally cannot help but reply.

-Anything for a pretty lady.—

Once they all seated themselves and Jen joined them ringside next to Karen, the cage was lowered while ominous music played.

John and Logan stare at each other on both sides of the ring.

"Just to let you know I ain´t holding back bub, and you damn well better not either or else I will pull out the claws."

"If you insist." John replied neutrally as he took his stance, with that said there was only one thing left to do.

-FIGHT! — Bobby yelled over the speakers.

Logan wasted no time as he rushed John who stood his ground. Logan knew he was far stronger and faster than him, but he had not back from any fight in his life and he wasn´t about to know.

Logan threw a right hook John ducked under before retaliating right hook to the jaw. Wolverine backed up a step just barely missing the blow and again he was forced to dodge just as quickly as this was followed by a left hook, however instead of stopping John used the momentum of the swing to spin kick the man in the chest at full strength.

"GUH!" Logan was sent hurling into the ropes, they tense before dropping him down. It should be considered that thanks to the adamantium in his bones Logan was still alive where as others would have their chests crushed.

John not one to let an opponent rest rushed the downed mutant and grabbed him by the shoulders; Logan however expected this and rammed the back of his head into the chin of the Spartan.

John staggered back before the feral mutant attacked with a successful left hook and right back spin kick to the stomach. John tumbled back before he regained his footing just as Logan tackled him into the ropes.

Logan started hammering into the larger mans abdominals as fast and as hard as he could, the Spartan however had enough and grabbed him by the torso and tossed him over the ropes with as much force as he could…which given his augmented strength was considerable as Logan hit the cage before he hit the floor.

"Oh man, Logan will be feeling that in the morning." Kitty said.

"God…" Miranda spoke as she saw the man get up and run to the opposite end and bounced of the ropes "…what is John doing now?"

"I believe he will be jumping over the third rope…and there he goes." Cortana spoke as John slammed into a recovering Wolverine.

"How did he know to do that?" Natasha asked.

"Made him watch an episode of Smackdown with us." Miranda spoke as she recalled he was not impressed and thought that the whole thing might have looked professional, but had too much showboating in it.

"Son of a…" Logan shouted as the man drove into him.

John got up as fast as he could and grabbed the shorter man by the back of shirt and rammed him into the cage once more.

"Go get him Dad!"

Logan once more got up and rolled left to avoid a right mid high kick to the face, Logan not one to waste an opportunity struck the back of the raised leg with a hard left jab to the knee. That brought John down and opened him to a swift right hook to the face that landed him in the cage itself.

Logan had to give the man credit for not once crying out, that didn´t stop him from drop kicking him in the back. The forced caused John to bounce of the cage towards Logan grabbed him in a suplex and flips him hard onto the simulated mat.

That stunned the Spartan enough for Logan to look under the mat.

***Let´s see how real this is.*** the man thought as he pulled out a chair from under it.

"Oh my God! John he has a chair!" Carol shouted at him.

John was up and ducks under a swing and slams his fist into Logan´s stomach winding him, John doesn´t speak a word but his intentions are clear as he takes the chair and using his enhanced strength drives hit into the Wolverine´s back hard.

"Oooh that has got to hurt!" Clint winced from the loud smack.

"Well, Chief Mendez did teach him to use the environment to his advantage, and believe me; anything that he can reach, John has an uncanny way of making it turn into a weapon of mass pain."

Cortana said casually.

_With the New X-men and Hellions…_

"Hit him again!" Santo shouted as they watched from the computer monitor the fight.

"Shut up man!" Julian hissed while watching.

"I can´t believe he is actually holding his own against Wolverine, that guy's one the best X-Men around, and this guy's wiping the floor with him!" David said in surprise at what he was seeing.

"Yeah, who is this guy?" Cessily spoke.

"What do you guys think? Is he some sorta of superhuman or something?" Brian spoke while taking a chip out of the bag he brought with him.

"He has to be to take on a guy who fought the Hulk and come out alive." Elixir spoke without realizing that John himself did so and won.

"Shame we can´t ask about it or else Frost will give us a Brain whammy."

Noriko commented as she drank from her soda.

"Oh that has got to hurt." Jay said with a wince as John slammed Logan´s head onto the steps.

"I am really glad he is isn´t a teacher here, can you imagine what he would put us through?"

Wither said as he did not relish the thought of facing him in the simulator.

"That´s why we keep this a secret, no way can Frost go into our heads without permission so we keep quiet."

Julian said as he did not want to get kicked out for just having some fun.

_Back with the others…_

Both men were now in the ring, and from there torn clothing and opened wounds they had taken their fight to limit. Both were healing slowly thanks to their respective healing factors, both natural and artificial.

However it was time to end it one way or another.

Those outside the cage could feel it, and were in awe of how John had lasted against Wolverine since many knew the man was in no way a pushover.

"Is it over?" Karen asked while keeping her hands on her eyes, though occasionally taking a quick peek.

"It´s gonna I can guarantee you that." Jen replied as she was riveted to her seat by the brawl that they had witnessed.

"There they go!" Cortana spoke as they rushed each other.

John threw a right and Logan counter by ducking and striking the stomach. John retaliated with a knee to the head and a left hook to the jaw. Logan backhanded with his right and spin kicked the Spartan´s head with his left.

John hit the ropes and shook his head to clear it. The man´s metal covered bones added weight had caused more damage than anticipated but still he would face this challenge head on.

Logan saw his chance to end it and went after John, this however proved to be a mistake as John attacked in a way no one saw coming.

Just as Logan reached him John dropped down…and brought up his arm with all his power and speed backing it right between Logan´s legs.

"Oh he did not just do that!" Fury said with a wince as he saw what happened to the last man John struck that way.

"What? What did Dad do?" Karen asked as Miranda kept her hands over the child's eyes.

"You REALLY do not want to know sweetie." Jen said as she too felt that was excessive.

"Boy do we have a story for you mean green." Clint said to her as he knew things were about to get ugly for Logan.

And he was correct as John soon began to attack in earnest. A left uppercut to the face staggered the man back a few steps, John then hit the abdominals with a left right punch combo before grabbing Logan´s right arm and swing him into the ropes.

On the rebound John timed a spin kick to the head that had the man spinning to the floor hard.

"Oof!"

It was there John decide to mimic something else he saw on the show… a sharpshooter.

"GRAGH!" Logan cried out as John pulled back with ALL his strength that it practically seemed that Logan´s back would have broken if not for the adamantium. Logan desperately tried to gain some leverage but John just pulled harder the more the man struggled.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity Logan tapped out from the pain.

"Oh my God! He made him tap out!" Spider-man said shock, even his lenses seem to widen from it.

"He won!" Karen shouted in glee.

"Bobby, end the thing already." Scott as he wanted to get them to the medical wing to have them checked out.

Iceman did so and soon the arena vanished as if it was never there.

John fell to one knee while Logan remained on the floor panting.

"Damn…can´t believe I tapped out…"

"Are you all right?" John asked.

"Well just about everything is aching…but still best fight I had in a long time."

"I could say the same."

"Heh, you´re all right Spartan, you're all right in my book. Course I will ask for a rematch." Logan spoke with a smirk on his face.

"I am not surprised, but I will accept…it was a very unique fight." John replied with a smirk of his own.

With that said the others came and helped them out, while taking about the fight they had and some of the highlights. The young mutants who had watched from a far were also wondering what more was there to this man who had done something they had not thought possible.

Needless to say things would take an interesting turn the residents at Xavier´s because of it.

To be continued…

A/N: Well there it is, hope you enjoy this chapter since the story will be on hold while I work on my Buffy fics as well as some new material that just won't let me be! Damn you plot Bunnies! Damn you all to Hell!

Now I honestly do not know why I put the WWE reference but once I started I couldn't stop. And on a personal note…The Rock is going to lay the smackdown on John Cena's candy ass come Wrestlemania!

Naturally the Hellions and New X-men will get caught and John will get involved, it will definitely be a unique experience.

Now then I know that I promised to put Deadpool in this.

"Which you did not." Said mercenary spoke while eating Taco Bell on a sofa and playing Marvel VS Capcom 3 on PS3.

"Where in the Hell did you get Take out? And why that slop?"

"Just because you don't think it's real Mexican food doesn't make it slop."

"Real Mexican food is cooked not prepackaged."

"Whatever…so why am not in this thing yet?"

"Because someone needed to be taught a lesson on not making demands from the author."

"Why?"

"…I am not playing the why game pool, and if you say why again I will throw you in the pit."

"Fine…hard ass."

"And a Fuck you too, to you as well asspool."

Sorry about that folks, someone's leash was loose.

Deadpol ignores that comment and goes back to playing.

Now once I get back to this story I will deal with the date and the possibly make an incursion with Spider-man realm, perhaps have a certain thief make an appearance as well.

The whole him regaining his memories will be addressed also as I see it as a chance for him to bond with Rachel. Still don't know who ends up with him but I plan to have him at least interact with all of them in certain ways before making the final choice.

Now onto some reviews:

formerlyarandomreviewer: hope this is your first step into fandom as more than a spectator. Also I have yet to decide if I will bring in more Halo characters but if I do it won't be Teams Black and Grey (Too weird), Tom and Lucy would be interesting, and Blue Team would be a strong possibility.

DJBingo and perseus: Did not think to see Blade in this…but it could be used to introduce John to the supernatural aspect of Marvel. Thanks for the idea.

mcknight93: Hope to read more on your Halo/TR story, I found the concept interesting. As for how many words I use, I never count I just go with the flow of the story and leave it at that when I feel satisfied. Never said Widow was out.

cjcold2: Thanks for your comments, and Karen will be calling someone Aunty just not our loveable A.I. I nearly forgot about the Database but I do have an idea on how to use it, I just need some info first. Interesting ideas for a meet with the weird and spooky I'll see what comes up thanks. Hmm Miranda with powers…interesting.

Overwatch: That's the plan, to make him more than a soldier and find something else worth living for.

Well that is all for now, I'll get back as soon as I can…remember be patient and you shall be rewarded for it.


	12. Chapter 12

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Well as promised a new chapter for my many readers.

To those who waited patiently I give my thanks for not rushing me too much. It's been two years and two months since I began this journey and I have to say hearing you positive feedback has done me good.

To all those who flamed and bashed my work I'll I can say, from the bottom of my heart is this.

Thank you for giving me the strength to continue, to show you all up, and to prove that I am damn good at what I do. Your continued failures to break me and silence me have lit the fire I needed to push beyond your hateful words and deliver something that has entertained the masses. I was going to tell you where you can stick but i am a better man than you all so i won't. Frankly you guys make laugh so hard it always brings a smile to my face when i read the stuff you say, sadly the hundreds of hits i get with positive feedback drown you out so good luck with making be bow down before you.

Now in regards to this and the next chapter, there won't be much action but will work as setting some ground work for what is to come regarding one potential pairing as well as the Spider-man/Spartan team up.

Thanks to Freedom Guard for helping me out, just ask and I will gladly repay the favor. I'll be working on my Ranma fic for a while and possibly try to overcome my WB in regards to my Buffy fics.

So let's get this show on the road.

"Speaking"

"_Whispering – Cortana speaking in the armor_"

"_Redeeming Bias speaking_"

***Thoughts***

*Sound effect*

-Media or transmission—

Chapter 9:

_At the Xavier Institute…_

John was currently getting checked on by Beast after they concluded the final bout for the Spartan. Wolverine was there just to kill some time and avoid a lecture from Cyclops for trying to bash the man's brains in with a chair.

"Well Spartan, can't say I haven't been brow beaten like that since my last scrap with Banner, course next time we do this little song and dance I won't getting caught quite so easily. And I am not going to let you try those moves again."

John nodded as he could tell that Logan meant it, his years of experience was longer due to his healing factor allowing him to have an extended lifespan and thus time to learn. He decided to even it up a bit and see what he could do to keep it up.

The feral mutant spoke as he pulled out a cigar and naturally this did not sit well with a certain blue furred mutant doctor.

"Logan you know the rules here in the lab, no lighting up in my vicinity. I abhor smoking here, you might be able to counter the effects of tobacco with your healing factor, but none of us have that gift."

Hank chided as he checked for bruises on the man's chest and arms, which to him was interesting since John was pretty much a tough fighter to have lasted against the Hulk and Logan. The only other people to last long against Logan were Sabertooth, Deathstrike and Deadpool and the memories related to each was not something Hank liked to recall.

"Wasn't planning to Hank, besides you'd cry to Emma and she'd go and bitch to Slim and then I have to threaten you all with my claws for messing with my desire for a fine cigar. And after this bout, I seriously need one."

Logan replied with a smirk while Hank merely rolled his eyes at the man's threat as if it was common place.

John just looks on as he recalls something from his time in training and the war.

"You remind me of a couple of officers I knew who had developed a taste for cigars. And they always carried one somewhere on their person, even in combat."

John spoke as he began to get dressed in some clothes Nightcrawler brought form his camp site since his original set got ruined during his fight with Logan. Not many mutants stood at 6'11" and retained their human form and sadly he was not one of them.

"Yeah? What's their poison?"

"Sweet Williams, CPO Mendez and Avery had an acquired taste for them. And the stuff was known to be a lot healthier than regular tobacco or so it was said."

The Spartan replied as he recalled his mentor and deceased friend like of smoking them either in leisure or in combat.

"Never heard of the brand, wouldn't happen to have any left would ya?"

Wolverine asked, curious about the item since trying out a new cigar from another reality was one thing he had not experienced as of yet.

"Sorry, but since neither Commander Keyes nor myself smoke we got rid of them...it was a good thing neither CPO Mendez nor Johnson did not see it either. That would have really not sit well with either of them. Johnson always smoked one in in a fight."

John replied honestly before turning towards Beast who was putting his equipment away

"…are we done here Dr. McCoy?"

"Please call me Hank, and yes John we are done. I must say those nanites in your body are quite fascinating, I can't even begin to imagine how many diseases they would be able to heal and injuries that could be treated by it."

Hank spoke with wonder at the possibilities.

***I wonder if they would allow me to perform some tests on their versatility. I shall ask later, and perhaps they would let me learn more of these Forerunners and their advancements maybe share some ideas with Redeeming. It's a bit much due to the dangers this technology could unleash if used wrong but if it's controlled and monitored, it should be worth a shot.***

Beast thought with hope in his mind that he could learn more of such an advance race.

"Unfortunately we can't duplicate the technology with your earth based tech, no matter how advance you are and without systems we only have on the Dawn. However we did agree to send you some samples of UNSC based medical equipment that you could use and replicate, short of anything related to the SPARTAN program, can be shared. That's the last thing I want to happen since I do not want that technology to be used on anyone no matter the reasons."

"That is most generous of you, I was particularly curious of this Biofoam you use, I heard that Tony was developing something along those lines but it was just in the test phases."

The mutant genius spoke with equal parts fascination and curiosity.

"You can gush and preen later fuzzball…"

Logan immediately intervened as he knew Hank well enough to know he was about to ramble

"…tests are done and I don't know about you and Soldier boy here but I need food and beer fast. I am dying to have both after all that's been going on…see ya."

Hank merely shook his head at the man's antics, he knew that when they needed him he could be counted on to be the first one to jump into action but sometimes the man tended to rub people the wrong way from the get go.

***Lord only knows how Scott tolerates him, I haven't seen him blast him since we formed that new team and I can only guess how long it will be before they go at it again.***

The blue furred mutant thought as he and John followed the man out of the infirmary. Though in truth the possible battle of wills and powers between Scott and Logan was a long time coming, as he knew that there were still some issues between the two senior X-Men that had yet to be brought to a satisfactory conclusion. But for now he placed such thoughts of out of his head.

Waiting for him were Miranda, Rachel, Jennifer, Cortana and Karen.

"You okay Dad?"

Karen asked with concern as she held his hand while the group moved towards the elevator. She knew her father had won the fight but that did not mean that her worry was lessened.

"I am fine Karen; I heal much faster than before so you don't have to worry."

He replied neutrally but with a hint of a smile as he looked at her.

"Like Mr. Logan?" She asked innocently enough, to which John merely shook his head, he was not in the habit of lying and never did so, not once, unless it was in the face of his enemies, human and not.

"Not quite as fast as him, but then again I like to think I don't need to take as much damage as him in order to win."

"That's good to know, I can't tell you the many times I wish he wouldn't splatter blood all over the floor after a mission or a DR session."

Rachel spoke with a mischievous smirk on her face as she looked at the warrior in question. She admired Logan at times despite his actions, but she still did not like it when Logan went all out, even if she did admit that it saved their lives more times than anyone of them counted. .

"This is what happens when you hang around the Elf and the Popsicle to much."

Logan grumbles as they got in the elevator, not too offended by the remarks but that did not mean that he liked it.

"Ah don't worry Wolvie…"

Jen spoke as she patted his head regardless of the guttural growl being emitted because of it

"…that mean red head will leave you alone if you clean up after yourself."

John remained neutral as Logan growled once more from the women snickering at the jade skinned woman's comments. Hank at least turned away to hide his smile. The only reason Jen got away with comments like that with Logan was that she could give as good as she got and he did respect her enough not to push her too much.

After a minute they arrive at the upper levels where he saw the heroes who had come to see how John fared with some of their colleagues, Fury had already departed since he was needed back at SHIELD HQ, the last thing he wanted was to be caught flat footed when he was off base.

"Ah John, I see that you are well despite your match, if it can be called that with Logan."

Steve spoke as he and some of the others approached the man.

"Yes the Bio Huragok work fast, though not on par with Logan or the Hulk's healing factors they get the job done. What now Captain?"

"Well we shall return back to HQ, we just left only a few of the team there in case of an emergency but you never know when a full team is needed. The Bad Guys might be taking a break themselves, but you will never know."

The Sentinel of Liberty replied as he held out his hand in a gesture John knew all too well.

John shook it before addressing his fellow super soldier.

"Very well Captain, if you your team ever requires my assistance do not hesitate, we owe you for the help your scientists are providing in finding us a way home."

"Nonsense John, you risked your life to help during the Hulk debacle the least we could do is helping you return safely to your world. Reed and Tony are some of our finest minds and I am sure that they along with other will succeed."

Steve replied before releasing the man's hand and addressing his team.

"Avengers let's move out."

As the Earths mightiest heroes said their good byes Jennifer decided to both confirm her date with John as well as where he should pick her up.

"John, I almost forgot to tell that you can pick me up at seven at the mansion if that's okay with you."

"That's fine Jennifer though I should warn you once again that I may not be well suited for public functions."

He replied calmly and truthfully, put him in the field any day and he would find it soothing by comparison. There he knew what to do and how to do it, in a setting like what he was getting into, it was like totally out of his league. He didn't like being in the spotlight either, getting pictured back in Cairo was tolerable but that was for morale boosting purposes and was protocol. A date with a woman in a party was totally new to him.

"Neither am I but life is all about adapting, right?" She asks with a wink and a smile before joining her team mates. As soon as she was with them, she knew that she was going to be asked the questions.

"So made your move already huh?" Janet asked as she stepped next to her with a grin on her face knowing full well just how her friend got in the face of a challenge.

"Karen wanted me to go out with him in order to get him to relax, since I do have that party to attend I saw it as a chance to kill two birds with one stone."

She replied to her friend truthfully and she did smile a bit more as she was eager to see how things between her and John worked out.

"Oh and just how do you plan to get him to relax hmm?" Wasp asks her with a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips.

"Not the way you're thinking Janet, I admit that the idea is tempting, but I don't think rushing it here's going to be a good move. Besides I think you can agree that the man could use a taste of normalcy, or as close as he can get it living in our world, after everything he's been through right?"

Janet nodded without hesitation as she recalled the hell John had to deal with for nearly thirty years. There was no doubt in her mind that Jennifer was not going to be the only one though with plans for the Spartan. Carol and Natasha were also willing to take a shot at it, as well as the other female X-Men who expressed an interest in John.

"True, after going through that much Hell in such a terrible war I can only imagine how he kept his sanity for it all. Any other guy would have either been in an asylum, in a coma, or in a pine box"

Jennifer just nodded as they boarded the Quinjet.

Back with John the Fantastic Four approached to say their goodbyes as well.

"It was a rather enlightening day John; I hope to see you soon with news with our venture in getting you al back to your reality." Reed spoke up for his team.

"We can only hope Doctor Richards."

The Spartan replied.

"If you like Doctor, both Redeeming Bias and I can lend our assistance. Extra brains' focusing in unison on this kind of challenge is going to make it easier for all of us."

Cortana said to the leader of the Four and she meant it, combined with her knowledge and Bias, the chance to return home to the UNSC was going to be doubled in their favor. And if it was done, then they would have a better chance.

"That would be most appreciated Cortana; perhaps we can exchange data on the Forerunners. They truly sound fascinating from a scientific perspective."

"Uh oh, Reed's about to get his nerd on."

Johnny quipped, he knew that the second his brother in law got into science mode, it was not going to be an easy thing to make him stop. It was a miracle he had not gone catatonic from listening to Reed going on with science terms and he was happy that Sue was one who could handle it.

"Johnny!"

Sue chided her brother, she knew that Johnny did have a point, but that hardly meant that she liked it when he said that about his brother in law and her husband.

"I hate to say it but Matchstick here has a point, and coming from me, that is a lot."

Ben added while ignoring the Torch's glare.

"It does boggle the mind doesn't it?" Spider-man spoke up earning himself a glare too from the Invisible Woman.

"No tag teams quips!"

"Point and match to us eh Ben?"

"Looks that way don't it? Say web head you need a ride back?"

Ben asks their friend and ally.

"Appreciate the offer, saves up on the web fluid and the view is nice, and John if you're ever in my neck of the woods don't hesitate to bail me out of what is most likely a life or death struggle. After what I have seen, I will really be happy to have you watching my…oh yeah, my six."

Peter quipped as he held out his hand towards the man.

"I'll make a note of that Spider-man."

John replied with a small smile on his face which given his nature was a small victory for the web slinger. Peter was already aware that to gain the trust of a Spartan II Commando was a good sign, even more so for him since he was not in the small circle of people trusted by John and the others. Heck he was not even from the same universe as them, so to be shown friendship by someone like John was a major boon to him.

With both the Fantastic Four, Spider-man and the Avengers gone John turned towards Rachel.

"Thank you for allowing your home to be used for these tests."

"No problem John, you are a welcomed friend here and you've helped us out plenty with the Sentinels and Purifiers."

She replied with a warm smile, though fell as Emma contacted her telepathically. The blonde telepath knew she was pushing Rachel's buttons again, but she was not bothered too much by it. Rachel might be wielding a fraction of the Phoenix Force, but she was not going to back down, she didn't do it for Jean and Rachel would be no different. Besides that, she did find it amusing to see Rachel get all mushy when it concerned a man. She placed those ideas aside though so avoid getting Rachel's attention.

***If you are done gushing over your potential paramour dear, lunch is ready on the dining room if you care to bring them along.***

Rachel fought back the urge to telepathically punch the headmistress and simply replied with forced calm.

***Be right there…**_**Frost.**_*

"We're having lunch in the dining room you're welcomed to join us."

She related back to the UNSC crew.

"Sure, we would love to besides…"

Miranda looked towards Karen as she spoke

"…I'm sure you all would like to spend more time with John."

"Yes please."

The eager young girl replied as she enjoyed spending time with her adopted father despite his well-guarded emotions. Deep down though she knew he cared about her in his own way since he tried to be fair with her and be there when she needed him. He had fought to save her from those bad men and he was never at all fearful of her and accepted her whole heartedly for who she was. And to her, that was a good thing.

"May she be allowed to join us Rachel?"

John asks as he feels that if he is to spend time with her then he should make the most of it. He still had the occasional doubt of being a good father figure to the girl but if his life had taught him anything it was there was no quit in him. He had never quit on anything and that made him who he was, both as a man and as a Spartan. Karen touched a part of him that he was not all that sure of yet, but he was not going to turn it aside either.

Adapt and survive, Chief Mendez taught and he would do just that.

"Sure she can, just don't tell the other kid's they may get jealous."

The redheaded psychic says to the litter girl with a smile. Karen just nods before they all set off once more.

_Later in the dining room…_

They all soon arrived just in time as food platters were being brought in by Storm, Rogue, Bobby and Lorna.

Ororo was the first to see them and smiled at how happy Karen looked with John present, aside from Rachel and Kitty she had also spent time with the little girl who had gone through so much. The fact that John adopted Karen without complaint or hesitation was something that warmed her heart as there was a growing bond between Karen and her adopted father. He might be what could be called an augmented human and had been through so much pain and suffering, but the fact that he had never lost his emotions, empathy, kindness, and compassion made his bond with Karen all the more important.

"I hope you have brought your appetite my friends, we so rarely get to eat together and with friends from outside our usual social circles."

The weather manipulator spoke kindly to the three.

"Thank you for you hospitality. And a nice hot meal is something no one in the military will say no to."

Miranda spoke as she, John and Karen took three seats next to Nightcrawler and placed Cortana's holopad next o Karen.

Soon enough the table is covered in a variety of delectable choices, from a garden variety Cesar salad to fine cuts of roast beef. John picks some salad, some cordon bleu and peas. He was always seeing things the way a nutritionist would; after all, when he and the others recovered from augmentations, they were on a serious diet to recover. And food was something they all enjoyed regardless.

It is calm an enjoyable atmosphere he believes, far from what he was used to in the mess halls of ships when he and the other Spartans had a rare opportunity to sit and enjoy a meal together without the worries of the warfront or who they had lost in the fighting. They did ignore the stares directed at them by other UNSC personnel and even the ODSTs nearby knew better than so say anything when all of them were together.

In essence they shared a family moment together, though sadly those were few and far in between. They were always getting ready for another mission and it was hard on them. So they always made the most of it whenever they could.

Rachel, Betsy and Ororo can feel that he is at peace and are glad that he is slowly adapting to something other than the need to be in the mists of conflict. Marvel Girl decides to approach the subject she had spoken of in the elevator before he had faced Logan.

"John?" She called out to him.

"Yes Rachel?"

"Have you thought about what I said? You know about…helping you remember?"

"What's all this I hear?"

Betsy intruded as she was intrigued by what was being said and wishing she still had her telepathy. She did not mind the loss of it, but with the situation before her like this, she was beginning to wish she still had it.

"Rachel offered John to use her powers to help him regain what childhood memories he has."

Cortana replied for the group. Personally she thought was a good idea to give him something back of what he had taken from him in order for him to become the man he was now. But she also knew that John was a man of his own mind so it was still up to him to refuse it or take it.

John had a pensive look on his face, for many people decisions such as these took hours or days to go over. John however was used to making tough choices on the fly, on the battlefield lives depended on his decisions and the enemy would not wait for him to decide what the correct choice is.

He knew the lesson all too well that Mendez drilled into him after the funeral service held for the others who did not survive. And he was trained to accept that fact that in war, you cannot decide who lives or dies, what matters is what you did in the here and now. Make the best of what you are dealt with and make sure every moment counted.

He knew that everyone was awaiting his answer, more than likely they were thinking he would jump at the chance to regain memories of his mother and father. And in truth there was a part of him that wished to know who his parents were and what were they like.

***But is it truly worth it? Eridanus II was the place I was born true but Reach was my home. Chief Mendez and Doctor Halsey filled the parental roles in my life, they gave me purpose and helped me become strong, too survive. Sam, Kelly, Linda, Fred and the others are my brothers and sisters, we fought together, bled together...***

All these thoughts led him to one conclusion.

"Rachel."

"Yes John?" Rachel replied with hopes that she could help him.

"First off I want to thank you for your kindness and generosity; it shows that you are a good person for offering to do this for me even though I don't believe I am deserving of it."

"That's not true!"

She abruptly said before blushing a bit at her reaction as she knew that this was going to be a subject of conversation and teasing if it was to be circulated around the rest of the campus, once she regained her composure she continued

"…after everything we've seen about your life you deserve to get something back for all your sacrifices."

"She speaks truthfully…"

Kurt added as he felt the man deserved more for all the pain and tragedy he has witnessed

"…though you may no longer believe in the Almighty or not put stock in religion, I feel that he has watched over you so that you may continue to do what you do best, and that is to save lives. You did so for humanity in your home and you did so here when you faced the Hulk, protected our school and even more so when you gave Karen a home and brought justice for her mother."

"And don't forget those girls you saved form that prostitution ring. You might not know it but I can easily guess that all of them say your name in thanks every night they go to sleep. And the same goes for their parents no doubt praying that you will be protected John for all you have done"

Miranda added as she was proud of him for having saved those young women form a terrible fate. There were instances of that in any society and the idea of young women being tossed into that horrid life filled her and anyone else with disgust.

"Thank you everyone for your words, i am not one to accept accolades for what I do. I did what I knew was right and accepted that as my duty to make sure they were done…however I must decline your offer Rachel and let me explain why first."

John spoke firmly as he knew from everyone's look of surprise that he caught them off guard. That was to be expected after all, most would have wanted that but he was not most people.

Rachel for her part wanted to press the issue but decided to wait and hear what he had to say.

"Despite how I look I am by all rights an old man, because of this I have seen much in my life, I have seen and felt much pain and tragedy that is true…"

He spoke calmly and in all seriousness, his face gave nothing away even when he looked at Karen, Cortana and all the X-men who had worked with him

"…but I have also had my moments of peace and happiness with my Spartan brothers and sisters, with Dr. Halsey, Chief Mendez who taught me all I knew, with you Cortana and with you Karen."

"I have had very few people who I have called friend but those few are worth more to me than any lost childhood I could regain. It is true I have sacrificed much but I have also gained much as well."

He said as he looked at his surrogate daughter and his A.I companion.

He gently placed Karen on his lap before continuing.

"The past is just that, I have survived with what little I can remember of my life before becoming a Spartan and I will continue to do so. I shall live in the present since my life has shown me that sometimes our time can be too short. Make the most of what you have and when it is your time, leave it without a single regret in the world, I will move forwards into the future and see where it leads me. I am a proud soldier of the UNSC and…a proud father to a brave little girl, I have and seen extraordinary men and women in our time in this reality as well as my own and until such a time that returning to our world is possible I shall endeavor to aid them as much as I can regardless of the foe that I will face."

"Daddy…"

Karen spoke quietly as she hugged her father and buried her head in his chest. She had never seen that much emotion from her adopted father and she was utterly happy that he had become her father. She would never want anyone else to be there for her.

"You are important in my life too John. You saved my hide more times that I care to count"

Cortana spoke as well with fond smile as she recalled all the crazy adventures and her own promise to him all those years ago when they first met.

"If that is what you want John, I will respect your decision but if you change your mind just ask okay?"

Rachel said with a smile, John nodded in thanks to her.

"I hope we can repay you for your kindness before you leave John."

Scott said to him as he had to respect the man for being willing to go through so much and still remain strong. Sure he and the others did much and suffered much as well, but in a way John suffered more. He had fought in so many conflicts and at times had to retreat to watch all that they had fought for be wasted because of the Covenant's superior technology. He had watched so many people die in battle and also saw those he called family make the ultimate choice and died heroes. All that and he never broke down and give up. That was strength that few would have.

They soon resumed their meal, some striking up a conversation with the UNSC crew. Hank was speaking to Cortana about what else the Forerunners were capable of during their reign. Scott asking John for any strategies they could use in the field and if he would be interested in helping out with the squads. Miranda was having a telepathic conversation with Rachel and Betsy about having a girl's night out on Friday over at a mutant friendly bar, however se suddenly recalled something Jennifer said before leaving.

"So John…"

Miranda spoke up suddenly with mischievous smile on her features

"…what's this I hear about you and Jennifer going out on a date on Saturday?"

"It is not a date Miranda, she simply asked me to accompany her to a party a client is holding. I wanted to repay her for helping out Karen."

"Uh…John, when someone that hot asks you out it is a date..."

Bobby said before he quickly looked to his girlfriend who was looking at her with a look that he knew was going to be real trouble for him, which was why he did not finish the sentence.

"…not that she's prettier than you Lorna!"

"Hmm, just for that you are taking me shopping Bobby and maybe I'll let you off the hook."

She said with a smirk at his dismal expression.

"Oh come on sweetie, the last time we went you nearly bankrupted me."

Robert pleaded while ignoring the amused looks he was getting as well as the mild glare Havoc was sending him.

Lorna simply gave a mysterious smile and whispered something in his ear. If anyone doubted whether a man made of ice could blush they would soon be given the answer as Bobby blushed to the point he might as well have been covered in red fluid from head to toes.

"Uh well…I mean…of course I'd take you shopping!"

"I knew you would see things my way."

The magnetic mutant replied before she kissed his cheek, the cheek that was deep red, despite all logic saying it should not.

Cyclops simply shook his head in amusement.

***Sometimes I am conflicted on whether I should hope that he'll ever grow up and whether or not I want him too.***

The Headmaster said to himself.

***I wouldn't get too comfortable darling, you too owe me a night on the town though I can guarantee you will enjoy what I have planned for us in the end.***

Emma sent to him with a purr in her telepathic voice that sent tingles up his spine, Scott already was told by Emma what she had in mind, but that did not mean that it diminished his embarrassment, as well as his eagerness to see what was she going to do this time around. .

"Well since you're going to something formal, will need to get you ready for it…hmm a tux might work."

Cortana spoke as she was already making plans; after all, it was high time John dressed the part. No sense having him look bad on his official first date.

John for his part knew that look and could already tell he was in deep. He trusted Cortana, but that look in her eyes was enough to make him wish he was actually fighting Brutes or Hunters again. Their expressions he could understand well enough, but Cortana's current expression made him feel very nervous.

***What have I gotten myself into this time?***

He asked himself.

_Meanwhile…_

In a high rise skyscraper, overlooking the city we find one Wilson Fisk as he gazed at what he thought of as his territory.

The large man had forged his criminal empire from the ground up using great cunning and ruthlessness, those who dared cross him usually found themselves regretting it before dying whether by his hands or one of his agents.

Unfortunately not all his endeavors bore fruit given the interference of the local heroes who dwelled in the city. True teams like the Fantastic Four or the Avengers left him relatively alone, only meddling in his business by pure coincidence…however those who took to the streets were often a thorn at his side, men like Daredevil, Spider-man or Luke Cage.

And those were only the ones who chose NOT to use any and all means to try and topple his kingdom. Moon Knight, Punisher and recently the one called Spartan had no such qualms of using lethal force to destroy his less than legal business endeavors.

***The Spartan…*** He thought with a frown ***…why would a man with such resources involve himself in my affairs? He has technology that would make him more the type to go after large scale threats than lowly street crime. How is it possible for him to have anticipated where my operations were being carried out?***

Fisk asked himself, unaware that Cortana and Redeeming Bias easily infiltrated his computer networks and phone lines easily.

Unfortunately because of this they could not forward this information because the Law would disregard the evidence due to it not being lawfully obtained, so instead they would strike form the shadows.

The Kingpin of course was not amused by this and had ordered higher security for illicit ventures. It was at that time that the phone chose to ring…

*RRRRIIIIIINNNG!*

Calmly he turned away from the window and pressed the speaker function.

-Boss? You wanted to know about the shipment coming in next weekend? - One of his employees spoke from behind him.

"Are there any delays?" Fisk asks as he reaches into his suit to pull out a cigar.

-No sir, it will arrive on time but some of the boys are worried, what with this new guy showing up and gunning down our men, it doesn't help that he took on the Hulk and walked away.—

"Yes, this Spartan…"

Fisk spoke calmly with no sign anger in his voice

"…I understand their concern hence why I have hired some 'special' help in case he or some other caped or masked Samaritan chooses to disturb my business."

-Who are we expecting exactly Boss? Anyone high profile? — The henchman asked.

"They are somewhat recognizable yes, be sure the men don't get the wrong idea and antagonize them, and no matter what happens you do not lose sight of the cargo, we've had enough setbacks for my liking understood?"

The Kingpin ordered with a certain tone of menace in his voice that made the other man on the line quiver.

-S-sure Boss, I-I'll get right on it.—

"See that you do." And with that said he cut off the connection, the large man simply turned back and gazed into the New York skyline as if nothing was a miss.

Unknown to him his conversation was not missed be the advanced Forerunner A.I.

_On the bridge of the Forward Unto Dawn…_

"_Hmm, this is most distressing; I must inform the Reclaimer's and Cortana soon of these events._" Redeeming Bias spoke as he analyzed the conversation and triangulated the origin of the call.

Using a combination of stealth satellites and spy drones, the Forerunner A.I located the source to a warehouse near the docks; from there he hacked the computers and obtained the ship manifests to determine what ships would be arriving next weekend.

"_Hmm, a ship from Latveria, Symkaria and Moscow, the Latverian vessel would be the obvious target however Fisk rarely deals with Doom, but he does have amicable relations with the Russian crime syndicates._"

He spoke to no one.

"_Best leave that information for the Spartan to investigate._"

With that decided he teleported to the makeshift lab they had built in the Dawn for analyzing and experimenting with some of the technology and resources they had found in this reality.

In a flash of light he appeared and floated over to computer console and scanner, a small cylinder containing a sliver of metal could be seen under the scanner, on the screen it read Adamantium.

During their first meeting the monitor had taken the opportunity to scan the heroes as a security precaution, he found himself fascinated by their genetic quirks as well as some of the items they carried with them and chose to ask for some sample to study.

_Flashback…_

Reed, MCcoy, Pym, Tony and T'challa were conversing with one another about what the Spartan had shown them in regards to the history of his reality.

Redeeming calmly floated over towards them to request some information about their world.

"_Pardon my intrusion gentlemen but I was hoping you could answer some queries I had._" The Monitor politely asked.

"Oh hello…" Beast spoke up "…you are the A.I known as Redeeming Bias correct?"

"_Yes, that is my designation._"

"How can we help you?" Reed spoke up still showing the same fascination he had when he first saw the alien machine.

"_While you were boarding I took the liberty to scan you in case you posed a threat to the Reclaimer's…_"

"You scanned us?" Tony asked incredulously as his armor detected no sign of it. His armor had the finest security systems he could design, but Bias bypassed them easily. SO easily in fact they did not even sense it. That was not something the man liked though he understood the precaution, had things been different, he would have done the very same thing himself.

"_Only lightly and as a security precaution, one deemed necessary since the incident involving the one you call Dr. Doom._"

"A wise move, Doom is not to be taken lightly in any way."

The Black Panther replied seriously as he recalled the times he had faced the man. He was an arrogant power hungry tyrant and at times it made the Wakandan prince confused why someone of his nature had not been dealt with already and not allowed to leave at all.

"_Yes, his history does not show him in a positive light, but I digress from my original purpose. As I scanned you I detected several anomalies that have left me baffled._"

"What sort of anomalies?"

The Leader of the Fantastic Four asked the Monitor curiously.

"_To begin…_" Redeeming began as he turned to look at Iron Man "_…your armor exhibits an alloy I do not recognize though it shares the same traits as that of the metal that covers the bones of the one designated Wolverine._"

"That would be Adamantium."

Stark replies honestly and wonders not for the first time how his armor stacks up against that of the Spartan's now that that they have been told of some of its capabilities. He was not going to be arrogant about it as John was by all rights a Super Soldier and considering what he had seen the man dealt with, he knew that John needed every edge he could get. Still that did not mean that his interest was gone just yet.

"_So that is its name, moving on to you Black Panther your suit and claws exhibit another alloy I am unfamiliar with._"

"That would be Vibranium my friend, it is abundant in my homeland of Wakanda as well as another part of the world."

"_Finally there is the shield the one designated Captain America uses as well the Hammer the one designated Thor wields, my scans reveal that the shield seems to be made of earth based elements yet evidence shows it to be nigh impervious to damage. In the case of the Hammer I find no trace element I am familiar with as well as an aura of unknown origin._"

The Monitor spoke with clear confusion in his voice.

"Well Cap's shield is a bit of a mystery…"

Tony replied as he tried to recall the history behind the creation of it

"…frankly it was an accident no one has ever been able to crack, not even me or Reed and trust me we tried when it's been damaged or shattered."

"_So it can be destroyed?_"

"It has happened Redeeming, though you will excuse us if we cannot share the details with you." T'challa replied not out of malice but a desire to protect his friend's secrets.

"_It is of no concern, you wish to withhold secrets which would be used harmfully against your colleague should they be discovered, I understand this desire as I too wish to defend the secrets of my creators and the Reclaimer's._"

"How very novel my mechanical friend…"

Beast complemented with a smile

"…as for your question regarding Mjolnir, it is made from Uru metal which can only be found on the land of his birth that is to say Asgard."

"_Searching…data found…Asgard, the Golden city and realm eternal, home of the Norse Gods according to mythology. Is this information accurate?_"

"Yes it is."

Reed answered as he was now wondering how the sentient machine would take the existence of the supernatural since it was a creation of a race of immense scientific advancements.

"_Strange, though information has been found that shows connections with beings of myth, it was still considered with a 70.2546% probability that being designated Thor was some form of ascended being, alien organism or possible mutation._"

Tony chuckled at the choices the alien A.I. came to and its show of skepticism, he expected that since he too had a hard time swallowing Thor's story when he first met the God of Thunder.

"Trust me, when I first met him and heard his story I was a bit reluctant to believe it myself. I may be a man of science but when you've seen the stuff we seen you tend to broaden your horizons…except Reed here, he still thinks he can explain every case of Hocus Pocus we run across with science."

"I just haven't found the right answer yet to explain the phenomenon."

The man replied with a somewhat exasperated tone. He took pride in his understanding of science and did not put too much trust or faith in magic. Granted he had seen it before, but he still felt it could be answered, which was why he was confused at times with Doom, Doom before and after his accident was a man of science like he was, but he dabbled in the magical areas as well which to Reed was very odd indeed.

"You're just lucky Strange isn't here to tell you that magic does not need to be explained to exist. The two of you might start a debate that would really be taxing on time and effort"

Pym replies with a chuckle as he knew that if it did happen then there would be no end in sight.

"_Accessing…Doctor Strange…real name Stephen Strange AKA Sorcerer Supreme the foremost expert in the occult and supernatural._"

"That's the one; he has our recommendation should you find yourself dealing with anything remotely supernatural."

Pym spoke up as he recalled the times the man had come to their aid when Demons or Gods were involved. He also was a man of science himself, but after his rather colorful career he was more broadminded than most, especially Reed.

"I still say that magic can be explained." Reed grumbled.

"Ha ha ha, perhaps Reed you are jealous of his title, Sorcerer Supreme does has certain flair to it."

T'Challa joked a bit just to lighten the mood, though he could see that Reed was not too amused.

"Oh Cheer up Reed…"

Pym added as he grasped his shoulder in good fun

"…who knows, maybe one day will the see rise of the Scientist Supreme alongside him."

"_As fascinating as this conversation is I believe we have digressed from the initial topic, therefore I shall return to it by asking if it were possible for you spare some samples of these alloys for further study, a sliver of each would suffice I believe._"

Redeeming requested politely.

The heroes looked at one another and thought it over; Tony decided to be the voice of the group, of scientists and engineers as it were.

"That is doable, but would you be willing to reciprocate by sharing some of the Forerunner alloys?"

The Monitor paused as he went over the request.

"_I shall have to ask the Reclaimers but I see no harm, while the equipment the Reclaimer's use could be replicated by some on your world the alloys could not for at least another 15 to 20 years if a sliver for each is granted, is this satisfactory?_"

"What do you guys think?" Iron man asks his fellow scientists.

"We would need to make sure no one finds out about it regardless of the quantity, but yes I think this will suffice." Reed replied while the other nodded in agreement.

_End Flashback…_

"_Hmm, fascinating…_" the Monitor spoke as he checked the readings and compared them to previous scans he had taken of Forerunner alloys he had the matter replicators create "_...this metal shows a higher molecular bond when compared to the creators alloys, replication should be feasible though, I shall make a note of it and have it tested if the Reclaimer's should approve now then to test this Vibranium sample I was given._"

He finished as he ordered a Sentinel nearby to change the sample to the Vibranium alloy and repeated the previous tests.

All in all he was making progress in his experiments and hope that the results could further aid his companions.

_Saturday evening, Avengers Mansion…_

To Jennifer it felt that Saturday took forever to arrive but once it did she vowed to make it a memorable night for both herself and John. And she was going to make the most of it while she could.

She had been invited to a formal dinner for winning a high profile case that revealed the corruption of a company VP that had been nearly the cause of the company going bankrupt. The president of the company who was known to be a man dedicated to humanitarian causes and had a clean record was happy for the removal of the man he had long suspected for underhanded dealings and called for a party and invited Jen to be the guest of honor.

She could hardly refuse and it later worked perfectly with Karen's request to help her father relax, something she personally hoped to achieve and have a repeat performance. Thankfully John did not refuse her and was now on his way to the mansion to pick her up.

Currently she was in her room applying the final touches to her makeup, once done she stepped back and took a good look at herself in the mirror.

***Nice, this should get a reaction out of John.***

She thought pleasantly as she looked at herself once more to maker sure that she did not miss any details.

It was a deep purple silk dress of the strapless type, showing off her shoulders well and a slight upper portion of her bust, not too showy, but more than enough to get anyone's attention.

She had her hair done in a tight braided bun held together by a jade hairpiece she picked up when the team was in China that allowed her neck to be shown from the back, she was also wearing a pair of purple silk gloves that reached up to her wrists and finally wore a simple but classy pair of high heeled shoes, custom made for her in a way that gave her an added 3 inches in height to fully reach seven feet.

Most didn't know that like her cousin her height sometimes varied given her emotional state, however on average times and situations she was 6'7" but she used shoes that added the necessary height since it intimidated lackeys more easily if they thought she was also much bigger than they were when they thought strength alone would impress upon them the need to surrender.

As she looked at herself in the mirror she smiled at herself and was happy that the dress was perfect as it showed her body well enough to her liking as well as the light touch of makeup complementing her emerald skin tone. She usually was not too hung up on her looks. But to impress her current date tonight, she was willing to go all out and besides, she wanted him to be given a taste of what it meant to be with a woman in a normal setting.

Outside the mansion that served as Earths mightiest heroes HQ her date for the night arrived in his custom vehicle. John leisure stepped out of the ATV will still maintaining a level of caution to his surroundings, remnants of his time during the war and it served him well so he had little reason to drop his habits.

The Spartan calmly made his way towards the gate and pressed the intercom to alert those that dwelled inside of his arrival.

-Welcome to Avengers Mansion, who may I ask is calling.— a crisp, British male voice spoke.

"This is John Mendez Halsey; I am here to escort Miss Walters to a formal dinner." He replied in his ever present neutral tone.

-Ah yes I was notified of your arrival, please come inside.—

The gates parted and he calmly made his way towards the doors, it only took but a moment when they were opened revealing a gentleman in a traditional butler's uniform.

"Hello Mr. Mendez and once more welcome, I am Edwin Jarvis the caretaker of this estate."

The older man spoke in a polite and friendly manner as he stepped aside to let the John in.

John had read about the man in question as being with the team for quite some time now, often taking care of them as well as offering counsel. He did wonder how he dealt with such a risk job and with such unique and powerful individuals. All of whom had made their fair share of enemies and no doubt would have done a lot to get even with them by any means to their reach.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Jarvis…"

John spoke as he held out his hand in greeting

"...I have to say I am somewhat surprised about your presence here when you take into account your unique set of house guests."

Jarvis shook the Spartan's hand before answering him, not surprised really since not many would consider taking a job where their employers' enemies could strike at any moment. He escorted the man to the Foyer where he turned to look at the man to reply.

"I have been asked that before sir and all I can say is that it is an honor and a privilege to be in the presence of such noble men and women. Though there have been times when my life has been in peril I held firm in the belief that The Avengers would save the day once more."

John nodded in agreement as he sensed how much the man before him believed in the team of heroes. In many ways he knew that the UNSC shared this same kind of belief in him and his brethren as they fought the Covenant and later the Flood. There were doubters and naysayers, but any man and woman who fought alongside him and the others knew better. Lord Hood and several other high ranking officers also supported them and were on their side more than anyone else.

His attention as soon brought back from the past when someone called out his name.

"Hey John! Fancy meeting you here."

The team's resident marksman Hawkeye spoke as he came from the dining hall followed by two of his teammates, Wanda Maximoff and Simon Williams, also known as the Scarlett Witch and Wonderman respectively.

"Hello Mr. Barton."

John replied as he was approached by the trio, and from the questioning looks of the two they were wondering who he was and how he knew the archer.

"Call me Clint; Mr. Barton makes me feel old and that's one feeling I am not too keen on feeling at the moment."

The sandy blonde haired man spoke with a smirk on his face before shacking the man's hand in greeting.

"Hey Clint, introduce your friends huh?"

Simon spoke in a tone that was equal parts chiding and humorous.

"Oh uh sorry guys this is John Mendez Halsey…"

"The detective?" Wanda asked in wonder.

Clint was puzzled for a moment until he remembered that not everyone had been notified on who John really was the day he told him of his origins, he then winced since he had been asked by Cap to let the others know and now he was more than likely get chided and lectured by their resident Super Soldier. And no doubt the others were going to be riding his case soon enough once word got out.

***Way to go Barton, ugh I knew I should have insisted that Herc do It.***

He thought dismally.

"Uh guys, he's more than just a detective…he's the Spartan."

To their credit both of them were only shocked for a minute before they gave the archer a look.

"Cap told you to tell us didn't he?" Simon said in a tone that was more fitting a statement than a question as he rubbed his eyes.

"Yep."

"And you forgot to follow through with it…yet again." Wanda spoke up next with a mild glare.

"Yeah…that again."

"You are in so much trouble Clint." Wanda replied before approaching John with a warm smile.

"Hello, I am Wanda Maximoff also known as the Scarlett Witch." She said kindly as she held out her hand. John gave a nod in greeting and gently shakes her hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Ma'am."

"And I'm Simon Williams aka Wonderman." Simon greeted in turn.

"If I may be so bold Mr. Mendez…why are you here? And dressed so formally." She spoke as she took a moment to admire the man.

***Hmm, he looks quite dashing in this suit.*** Wanda thought with a hint of a blush.

The uniform John wore was something of a variation used exclusively for SPARTAN-IIs. It was a black suit, with a standing collar and a tie. Chrome buttons, black gloves and a black belt that lay on the middle and two parallel silver strips that ran down the left side of the blazer.

It wasn't easy to convince the Commander, Cortana or Karen to allow him to wear the only other suit he felt even remotely comfortable in. He may have adapted to staying outside of his armor for longer periods of time now but to try and get him to wear what many termed a "monkey suit" was an uphill battle.

Miranda was close to ordering him to wear the custom made outfit Cortana had made for him when he explained that he was already in an uncomfortable situation, the least they could was allow him to wear something that would make him feel more at ease. They conceded in the end and the UNSC A.I modified his regular dress uniform to appear more in keeping with today's fashion.

Though it would not show his rank or what organization he belonged too he felt relaxed enough to deem it acceptable.

"I am here to escort Miss Walters to a formal dinner held in her honor for a case she had dealt with."

He replied in all honesty.

"Ah yes, she told us about it as well as her date for the night. I must say it has been some time since she's seemed antsy about a date."

The mutant magic user spoke in all honesty; though after looking at her date she couldn't blame her or the other women whom she had noticed acting strangely when he was mentioned.

"Speaking, if you will all excuse me I shall fetch the Lady of the evening."

Jarvis spoke with a nod to each as he went in search of Jennifer.

While they waited Wanda and Simon decided to chat with the Spartan, from asking about his battle with the Hulk to the rumors that he showed up Wolverine in a fight.

They enjoyed his company despite the feeling they got that he was not a very emotional person from the way he spoke and held himself. Not they found it wrong but odd nonetheless. Finally at the 5 minute mark Jarvis reappeared with She-Hulk by his side.

"_Damn…_"

Clint softly muttered when he got a good look at her in her chosen attire. Simon nodded in agreement since he had to admit his teammate looked like she pulled out all the stops, Wanda shared the sentiment and found herself wondering if this was more than a onetime deal for her friend.

"Jennifer, you simply look ravishing darling."

The Scarlett Witch complemented.

Jennifer smiled at her friend before taking a look at John.

***He looks so handsome in that.***

"You look very…" John paused as he searched for the right word "…nice Jennifer."

He finally finished hoping it was the right thing to say since he did find her very beautiful in her evening gown even if he could not express it properly. There was no doubt in his brain that if Johnson saw this, he would have busted a gut and told him to try livening it up and getting advice on saying what the ladies wanted to hear.

Jennifer took his words seriously as she understood that this was probably a first for him, she could bet that being in front of a woman in a dress like hers was not something he dealt with on a regular basis, she intended to change that one step at a time. She gave a very fond filled smile and replied in kind.

"And you look very handsome John, I love the suit is it a custom job?"

"Cortana had it done for this occasion, the tuxedo was first considered but I was against it so we compromised. This is actually a Spartan officer's dress uniform though we never really wore it a lot."

"She does marvelous work, I wonder if Janet would be interested in hiring her."

She-Hulk said with mirth and a touch of seriousness as she liked the way Cortana could design. She might be a military grade A.I but she certainly could fashion great clothing and could make a killing out of it.

John merely chuckled at that image of Cortana working as a fashion designer before he settled down and approached the Emerald amazon; he turned to the side and offered her his left arm. Jennifer smiled deeply in appreciation for the gesture and gently looped her arm around his.

"Shall we?"

She asked and got a nod in return

"…see you guys later."

She said to her friends before she and her date left for the party and she was eager to see how things were going to turn out with him.

"Well, I can honestly say that I have never seen her that satisfied since Wyatt…good for her."

Wanda spoke before heading towards her room with a smile.

"So Clint, level with me here, you think this is a onetime deal or she finally settling down?"

Simon asks his friend.

"Buddy, if you seen the way she, Carol and Nat have had their eyes on him you'd faint…"

Barton replies with smirk

"…I think will be seeing a lot of drama around her for a while. Nat, and Carol are not going the only ones either so it is going to be pretty darn interesting. But that's not my business or yours if we both want to live longer to enjoy life, so about a game of pool? Promise I'll let you win a few."

"Hah! Yeah right, you still owe a twenty from last week…double or nothing?"

Williams asks with smirk of his own.

"You're on Wonderboy."

And with that said the two friends left for their game, needless to say this evening would be quite interesting to many people.

To be continued…

A/N: Well there you have it, hope it was to your liking. Next chapter will have some scenes with the rest of the UNSC crew as well John and Jennifer in a social setting.

I haven't decided if I should go with Sinister Six or possibly some super powered mercs, and yes you know would be involved if I go that route. And pool if you so much as even say a Goddamn word I am not letting you leave that pit until that thing you call a brain is a fucking blank slate!

Off to the say we see a fully terrified Deadpool nodding enthusiastically in submission while dangling over said pit.

Anyway I know that there are several, unique mercenaries in the Marvel U so I would need to do some research before I commit myself to them or the Six.

Also I haven't decided who I could bring as well as how many from Halo verse to help out John and his crew. I feel I need to do this, don't ask why I just feel I should.

Well let's answer some fans:

Marc Ello: Thanks for the support Marc, I hope you enjoy this little gem.

Angry lil' elf: Black Cat is a possibility in appearing in the next chapter or possibly in the confrontation to come.

chm01: If you like both it's a win for me either way, though how me and FG can pull off a battle with Hades is going to be a doozy I'll tell right now.

The Dark Graven: There are naturally others authors who I can safely say surpass my abilities but thanks either way.

flame wing man: I shall…consider it, no promises though.

torasuto kotonashi: Well in order of the questions, I am making this a single pairing, just have to choose who. Jorge and the others will appear but whether or not I have them end up in Marvel U is still in question. I have a little something special planned for Miranda don't you fret.

mcknight93: Thanks for the peer positive support in regards to the challenges I made for MC and the others. Also I'm not yet ready to have a cat fight ensue but it could be fun. And from one peer to another I hope to read more of your work soon, you have potential all you need to do now is hone it.

Freedom Guard: Thanks you for your help and support man, you are still the King of the Halo cross in my mind and anything you do to help me progress is a welcomed relief.

Well that's most of whom I could ans…oh wait! I forgot to reply to my _oh so loyal and considerate_ fans…

Peace out everyone!


	13. Chapter 13

Land of heroes.

Well here we are once more, and once more I should warn there is no action, that's reserved for next chapter, here we see some tender and funny moments with Chief and the UNSC crew as well Karen.

Not before you ask no pairing has been decided but I want to be fair and equal to my candidates, who I am surely narrowing down little by little.

I am anticipating the arrival of Halo 4 and hope to learn to incorporate more Halo into my work as well as Marvel…even though some would agree that the current ongoing event of AvX has had mixed reactions and quite frankly I have had few moments where I have enjoyed it, it is in my opinion, a clear and gross mistreatment of both the Avengers and the X-men.

(And why is Spidey always getting the crap beaten out of him in any major event that has him?)

Thanks to Freedom Guard for contributing in my work.

Well let's get this show on the road!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

"Speaking"

"_Whispering – Cortana speaking in the armor_"

"_Redeeming Bias speaking_"

***Thoughts***

*Sound effect*

-Media or transmission—

Chapter 10:

_With John and Jennifer…_

The dimensionally displaced super soldier and gamma powered heroine enjoyed the relative peace around them as they made their way to the hotel where the party was to be held. It was fairly obvious that their arrival was going to turn heads, men looked at Jen with admiring expressions and as well as few other less than noble intentions, and they also directed glares at John briefly when they saw him with Jennifer.

The reversal happened to the women who looked at John with admiring eyes and also looked at Jen with glares as they were not too keen on the fact that she had the man all to herself.

Only reason nothing happened was that everyone knew of them. They knew Jen for being one of the Avengers and one of the well known lawyers in New York with a reputation to match her looks and strength. And they knew John for being a well known and loved private investigator with a rock solid reputation and not afraid to take the fight to his foes. Not to mention the fact that he had a lot of positive remarks towards him and his sister from those who were their clients.

None of them with the exception of John's date for the night knew of his real history and the fact that he was the one in armor who fought and bested the Hulk recently. If that happened, the reactions would have gone through the roof.

Jennifer would occasionally turn to look at her date for the evening and silently admire his form and face. He knew she was watching him, but he made no comment as he had no idea if it would be appropriate to do so in this setting, Once more he questioned if he should have accepted this social outing given his lack of understanding on what constitute appropriate behavior in this type of situation. He was trained to infiltrate ships; bases, urban battlefields, and more…parties of this nature were not one of them. Sure there had been some of it, but the Insurrectionists were not the type for this as they were not that deep into the UNSC social area.

He had thought it over and accepted that he had made some head way in how he interacted with people outside the military and his fellow Spartans, thanks in part to Miranda, Karen and Cortana, however know he found himself in a new situation where he had no basis to work with and he knew that one slipup was going to really make things difficult for him.

***I'll have to do as always then, adapt and survive.***

Jennifer for her part knew what was most likely going on in his head, yet felt that if she wanted to make any progress in both helping him it would be necessary for him to go out and mingle with his fellow man.

She knew that it was not going to be an easy fix, but at least it was a step in the right direction and a lot better than doing nothing. After all the things he had dealt with, the chance to unwind and heal himself was worth it to take him out of his shell as it were.

The fact that she could gain something emotionally wise was just an added bonus to her and she hoped to make the most of it when it came to that. There was a part of her that wanted more, but she was going to go slow and make this work properly.

"So John?"

"Yes Jennifer?"

"You know you can call me Jen, all my friends do…"

***Though I hope we can be more than that, a LOT more since you are very much worth it.***

"…how are the ladies? They had any plans for tonight?"

She asks in genuine curiosity as she enjoys her talks with Miranda and Cortana, the latter through the use of the internet. She still found it funny that neither Johnny nor Iceman had figured out she was the most dangerous online gamer out there. She knew that they were not fans of Cortana's avatar in their games, but if they knew that they were being given a beating by the very same A.I they had just met recently. Well, she would enjoy the sight of their reactions and also enjoy the looks of amusement Cortana would give the two tricksters.

"Karen is at the Institute, though tomorrow she wishes to visit Mrs. Engleberg and from there will head to Coney Island and I'll make sure to be around for their protection if they need it. Cortana is with the Fantastic Four along with Redeeming Bias to oversee the final assembly of the portal they plan to use to contact our home reality. Commander Keyes said she was going out to have dinner though there was this odd look in her face when she said that."

"Oh? Maybe she has a secret date lined up?" Jennifer ventured.

"I do not believe I can confirm that, with the exception of the X-men we do not have much contact with anyone outside of the agency."

"Well who knows? Cupid has a funny way of showing up when you least suspect."

She said with a mysterious smile that earned her a raised eyebrow in confusion. She was not aware that she was not far from the truth…

_District X, Heaven's Delight…_

***What exactly are you doing here again Miranda?***

The Commander asked herself for what seemed like the millionth time today as she nervously inspected her dress and her appearance. She was a military person for the most part of her life ever since she grew up with her father, and rarely did functions like this. Hell, this was actually the first time she ever went out in a civilian dress.

"Would you like to see our selection of wines madam?"

A well spoken waiter spoke to her on her left. She thankfully did not suffer a repeat of the time she met Hank as this particular waiter looks would garner many given the fact that he had Four arms with four fingered hands.

"No thank you, I would prefer to wait for me fellow dinner to arrive before ordering, however can you tell me is there a house special tonight?"

"Of course madam, tonight it is Grilled Lobster and Potatoes with Basil Vinaigrette, with a side order of your choice of Salad or Soup as well as a complementary desert."

"I believe I shall order that though not before my colleague arrives."

"Not worry madam; we can keep it warm for you and guarantee it will arrive so or it is free of charge." The mutant waiter replied cheerfully.

"In that case I will have that, a Ceaser Salad in ranch dressing and for desert the key lime pie."

"Excellent madam, I make sure the cook knows to keep hot for you."

"Thank you." She replied to the kindly waiter who nodded in return before leaving. It was as she left that her fellow dinner made his presence known.

"Guten Tag frauline, I do hope I am not too late for you." The unmistakable voice of Kurt Wagner greeted her as he stood before her. Miranda wasn't expecting him to be in a suit, but it was definitely a nice touch.

"Oh no Kurt, I haven't been waiting long. You look very dashing in that suit by the way." She complemented and meant it as well.

Kurt dressed in a custom made suit tailored to fit his unique body shape. It was pitch black that brought out the white of the long sleeve shirt he wore underneath as well as the red neck tie he wore.

"Why thank you Miranda, I must say you look simply divine in that dress as well." He said, returning the complement as he gave her a long look.

Miranda had chosen to go with an ocean blue evening gown she bought when she went out with the X-Women; it left her shoulders bare and had a slit on the side that showed off her legs. She wore light make up to enhance her looks, it was a first for her in this setting so she wanted to look presentable.

Though she was still thinking how spontaneous the request was when he approached her the day they sat to eat lunch at the mansion.

_Flashback…_

Miranda was currently in the gardens speaking with Ororo when Kurt suddenly teleported in.

"Hello Kurt, is there something you needed?" Storm asked calmly as if nothing was amiss as she was used to his impromptu arrivals.

"I do beg your pardon Ororo, but might have a moment of the Commanders time?"

"Of course Kurt, as long as the Commander doesn't mind."

"I don't mind, be right back Ororo." She replied as she joined the blue furred X-man into and alcove in the greenhouse.

"What do you need Mr. Wagner?"

"Please call me Kurt, in lieu of our many encounters in the mansion it is only natural to consider you a friend and as such have the decency to be on a first name basis."

"Of course, then please call me Miranda, I'm not in uniform right now and you are most certainly not in the UNSC military so no need for you to address me in regards to rank."

"Thank you Miranda, now then I called you away so that I may ask if you are available Saturday night."

That was the last thing Miranda expected from Kurt.

"Uh no, not to my knowledge, why do you ask?"

Miranda's tone was laced with confusion, though she knew that she should be prepared for something like this. She was no fool as she had seen some of the looks directed at her, namely by Sue Richard's playboy of a brother and even Stark gave her a second glance, but this was Kurt, someone she did not expect.

"Well, I was thinking that you have put up with some rather stressful situations on our part and I never properly thanked you for healing my wounds of protecting me when the Purifiers came."

"Oh no need to do that Kurt, it was both my duty and the right thing to do in those situations, it's part of who I am and how I grew up back home."

She said to him with a warm smile, one he reciprocated.

"No, no, it would rather impolite and ungrateful on my part if I didn't properly act grateful to you…so with that said, would like to accompany to a private dinner Saturday night?"

Miranda was stunned by the man's request, especially how calm he was when he said it showing he was serious. And now she knew that she was in a situation that she heard about, but never happened to her, on account of her rank and name in the Navy.

"Um, are you asking me out?"

"As one friend to another Miranda, though that is not a slight on your part. Unless it is my appearance that bothers you."

"No! No, it's not that I swear Kurt…it's just I may not be good company, Hell I haven't gone out with a friend since my Academy days. When we landed in this reality I was frankly just as confused as the Chief, I mean years of warfare and suddenly I don't have anything to do with all this peace time I'm getting. Going out with Rachel and the girls was something I truly enjoyed and I felt comfortable, but what you're asking makes me feel like I would embarrass you more than myself since I have not done that in a LONG time."

"Nonsense fraulein, I shall endeavor to make sure you are thoroughly entertained and relaxed and in no way will you embarrass me."

"Well…if you're sure…" she slowly ventured as she took in his words.

"I most assuredly am my dear, I give you my word and I am nothing if not a man of his word."

"Then ok, I would love to go out with you Kurt."

"Excellent…" the demonic looking mutant said with a smile on his face "…then I shall send you the details in a fortnight, until then my dear." He spoke before walking away cheerfully.

"_I hope I don't mess this up._" Miranda whispered to herself as she made her way back to Ororo.

_End Flashback…_

"I hope you enjoy the restaurant I picked out for us, I and the others often come here for the both the pleasant atmosphere and fine cuisine when we celebrate a birthday or the founding of the team." Kurt spoke jovially to his companion for the evening.

"It is very nice and the staff if so welcoming and helpful to average people despite some of their mutations."

"Indeed, I see that the dream of coexistence is evidenced here in the faces of the many patrons' happy and joyful expressions on both human and mutant alike…"

*SIGH*

"…it is good for the soul to see such a thing of beauty and harmony."

"Quite the poet, eh Mr. Wagner?" Keyes spoke with mirth in her eyes and smile.

"I may be no Hank McCoy, but I get by." He replied with a smile of his own.

Soon enough the waiter came and his order as well as a recommended bottle of wine where the two settled in for the evening make idle chit chat.

_At the Xavier Institute…_

Karen was currently in her room doing her math homework, normally she would be done with it but that was only because Cortana secretly helped her through the laptop her father gave her.

He had been reluctant to get her one given her youth as he felt she may become distracted and misuse it during school, however he finally accepted when he got her to promise to use it responsibly and not just for movies or games.

She had kept her promise because she did not want to disappoint him like she did when watched that horror movie he said not to. Cortana would occasionally check up on her and ask if she needed help on a subject, she didn't so much as do her homework for her as tutor her.

She had high marks in her schoolwork thanks to their sessions, her only real subject she has trouble with was controlling her ability to harden her scales as she did when the Purifiers attacked.

She could only hold it for mere moments at most, Hank explained to her and her family that in time and with practice she could learn to harness the ability to give her a higher defense and possibly offense if she could extend it to make her claws sharper. Aside from controlling her above average strength she had no other difficulties.

***Family…***

The thought made her pause in her work as her eyes trailed over to a pair of pictures on her desk. One was of her mother holding her as a baby; she was a dark haired brunette with blue eyes and a loving smile on her face.

***Mommy…I miss you so much, but I'm safe now, just like you wanted.***

Her eyes trailed over to another picture, much larger as it had a group gathered around a cake and 11 candles lit. In it were her, John, Louise, Miranda, the Stepford Cuckoos.

She had wanted to include Cortana but she would hard to explain to the sisters without revealing who John and Miranda really were. Ororo was happy to take the picture for them as Miranda stood to her right a hand on her shoulder smiling pleasantly, Louise stood at her left with her hand wrapped around hers; the sisters were next to the elderly woman and smiling at the camera while John had both hands on her shoulders in a comforting grip and gave a small albeit warm smile to her.

It was her eleventh birthday, only a month ago and they celebrated in the mansions dining room. It was one of the happiest moments of her life and made her forget about all the trouble she had gone through before coming to the institute. And of course she recalled how she had met John who became her father and she was utterly happy to have him as her parent even if they were not related by blood.

She smiled a little before returning to her homework, however before she could continue there came a knock at her door.

"Who is it?"

"It is us Karen." The synchronized voices of Mindee, Sophie and Celeste spoke from behind the door.

The three in one normally would use their telepathy to call someone but they preferred to do so in person when Karen or Louise was involved. It was a nice thing in the young girl's mind since it showed that she was someone they trusted implicitly.

"Coming." The reptilian looking girl spoke as she moved away from her desk and went to let them in. "What's up?" she asked though she noticed Sophie had a DVD case with her.

"We need to speak and ask you something Karen."

"Sure, come in."

The three did so and moved towards the laptop while Karen sat on her bed. Sophie popped in the disc and it began to immediately play. She flipped the screen towards Karen, who upon seeing the content was shocked…as she saw the fight that had taken place between her father and Logan.

She had thought that this was a private matter, but now it was out in the open. She knew that she did not record it, but that did not make the feeling of worry disappear from her.

***Oh I am in soooo much trouble!*** She thought.

***Who is your father Karen? Who is he really? Because we all know that no normal person should be able to fight this well against Professor Logan, let alone defeat him in a situation that usually would favor him.***

Celeste sent telepathically.

"I…um…you." The little girl stuttered as she was still reeling from the revelation.

"Is he a superhero?" They asked in genuine curiosity.

"Kind of…I can't… we're supposed to keep it a secret!" She finally blurted out.

"We see, we won't delve further but we felt the need to know, he is very nice to us and does not seem like someone who stands out in our type of social caste." The three said in all honesty.

"He doesn't hate mutants if that's what you meant, Are you all mad at me for not telling you about my dad?"

"No, we were simply surprise when we saw this video."

"Where did you get that anyway?"

"We found it in Mercury's room when we asked her for her notes for algebra, we could not attend and it would not have been proper to mentally take them out of a student."

They spoke as they tried to avoid emulating Emma's habits…for the most part. She was their mentor, something they begrudgingly admitted, so they did have some of her traits and they worked hard to separate themselves from her to be their own being. That did not mean however that they did not use some of her methods if it came to that but only if they felt the situation called for it.

"She left the TV on and we saw this, we asked her where she obtained it and she replied that Santo gave it to her…we sensed reluctance to speak more about the subject so we simply asked for a copy and left."

"Oh…well, what should we do, Professor Summers and dad told me it was important to keep it a secret."

"We… should do the right thing and tell the Headmaster."

"But…won't the Hellions get mad at us?"

Karen replied with a bit of fear of being bullied by Julian again, it annoyed her at what Julian did to her and others at times and while she did want him to leave her alone, getting him mad at her was only asking for more trouble.

***Thinks he's so great just because he has a team named after him, well one I'll have one of my own and it will be way cooler!***

The Cuckoos ignored the loud thoughts their friend let out, though they did find it funny and cute as the saw her standing atop a beaten Hellion, of course they chose not to voice this.

"We shall make sure you are not to blame for their actions, they should not have taped it."

"But then you'll get in trouble!"

The three smiled at the concern their young friend showed for them.

"We will be all right Karen, do not worry..." they said as each gently placed a hand on the small girl "…but thank you for your concern, you are a good friend."

"Ah, so are you girls…so should we go look for the professors now?"

"We should do it tomorrow…" Sophie spoke while Mindee removed the disc from the computer "…so you can rest."

"Oh okay, can I keep the disc?"

"Um…" all three now looked at one another nervously much to the young girl's confusion.

"We should do it…to make sure no one takes it from you." Celeste let out in an odd way for her.

Karen's eyes narrowed a bit.

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing! What makes you say that?" Sophie asks.

"Her nose twitches when she is hiding something, like the time you ate my cookies and said Quill at them and I saw a crumb on Mindee's lips." Karen pointed out.

"We simply wish to examine the footage to better study the fight and do better in the simulator." Mindee replied with a shaky smile.

Karen knew they were hiding something so she quickly went over why they could possibly want the disc and decided to go with the most likely answer.

"You have a crush on Professor Logan?"

"Ewww! No!" all three let out in actual disgust.

Unfortunately for the three this let Karen move on to the more weird answer.

"You have a crush on my Dad!?"

"N-no."

"Yes, yes you do, all three of you." The little girl now sported a mischievous smile.

"Don't be silly Karen; he is much too old for us." Sophie replied in the most honest tone she could despite the blush that spoiled it.

"Oh so you wouldn't mind if I…" before she could finish her comment she quickly sprang up, grabbed the tape and ran "…take this!" showing that even a mind reader can still be caught off guard if distracted.

"Karen wait…!"

"We won't make more than one…!"

"We'll make it worth your wild!"

All went in hot pursuit after the little girl who laughed as she ran. She could not help but find the whole situation amusing. If Head Mistress Emma knew that her three favorite students were crushing on her father…well, suffice to say, she could not help but find it utterly shocking to say the least.

_Meanwhile with Cortana and Redeeming at the F4 headquarters…_

"H.E.R.B.I.E, give me a quantum spectrographic analysis of section 2246 please."

"Acknowledged Doctor Richards… running now… completion in 5 seconds." The artificial intelligence replied to the leader of the four's request.

"How are the phase variance equations coming along Redeeming?" Richards asks as he looks at a console's readings, the title reads "Vibranium oscillatory sequence."

"_Very well Doctor Richards, no sign of error has yet been found regarding quantum entanglement in the dimensional aperture. Will run a more detail analysis before final submission._"

The monitor spoke as it looked over a holographic "blackboard" filled with mathematical equations and physic denominations.

"I have finished installing the portable shield matrix in the probe Doctor Richards as well as running a deep isometric scan of the outer casing of the probe. If my simulations are right, and they most certainly are, the probe will and can withstand entry into the event horizon."

Cortana spoke up from a portable holographic interface a Huragok carried.

Behind her floated three of the same Engineers working constantly with a modified deep telemetry probe from the Dawn, taking it apart, scan the parts and replace or modify them before reassembling it.

The reason for this could be found in an open area of Reed's lab where a metallic archway stood, being assembled meticulously by H.E.R.B.I.E robots to the exact specifications made by the scientist.

"Darling? Are you in here?" the unforgettable voice of Susan Richards came from the entrance as she came in with Valeria in her arms feasting on a bottle while a tray of food and drink floated behind.

"In here my dear, just going over the final phases of construction for the dimensional gateway."

"I see…" she stopped to gaze at the device "…isn't rather small for a person Reed?"

Cortana replied before he could.

"Actually Mrs. Richards we plan to send a probe in first and not have it land near the planet since we have no way of knowing how it may react to the energy that will be emitted from the portal."

"Indeed…" Reed added as he extended his neck and arms towards the gateway with a tablet and micro laser in each hand "…we wouldn't cause some entropic failure in a nearby moon or a gravimetric collapse on the planet while there are most likely people studying the ruins."

"_They are hardly ruins Doctor Richards, my predecessor as well as my fellow ancilla would ensure their utmost preservation._"

"My apologies Redeeming."

"_None are needed; I was merely pointing out a fact nothing more._"

"Well you've worked long enough so a small break is in order and Valeria would like to be held by her daddy before she goes off to bed."

"But Sue completion will be done in a few minutes…"

"Reed…" His wife spoke in a tone he knew all too well, it said "listen for your own good or else."

"Yes dear…perhaps some refreshments and rest is in order." He said evenly despite the small twitch Cortana picked up around his eye. Though she had the good grace not to laugh…with much effort mind you.

***Whipped!*** she thought humorously.

He gently cradled his second child in his arms while she rested her head on his shoulder, though unknown to them all her eyes glowed an ominous red as she gazed at the gateway…

_Doomstat, Latveria…_

In those moments the tyrant known to all as Doctor Doom used his mystical knowledge to gaze through the child's eyes as he made use of his familiar. He intended to use his asset in the Baxter building until he fully recovered his full resources and might. The damage to his scientific resources and the loss of literally years of research and development hurt MORE than any other wound he had suffered. So for now he had to resort to magic, which gave him an edge over Reed and he used it rather well.

***What are you up to Richards and who are these artificial beings you consort with?***

Focusing on the ethereal connection with the child further, he carefully listened in on the conversation between the husband and wife with the A.I.

-So Cortana, what do you think will be the reaction of your people when they find out you travelled to different reality where beings like us are practically common place.—

Susan Richards spoke as she served her husband some tea.

-Well they'll probably run over all the information twice, wonder if I am Rampant and then admit it may be real. I know that the ONI boys would go ape over this; it's a question of whether it's a good or bad thing. Dr. Halsey would be interested and learn all she could and find a way to help learn more about this reality of course.—

-I do not see why this should be a problem, Forerunner science allowed for the travel to other dimensional realms, though in basis of our situation I must say they were under more controlled conditions and better equipment.—

The Monitor added.

-Yes from what you told me of them, they truly sounded like a fascinating species. Shame what happened to them, such knowledge and wisdom lost due to such a terrible war.—

Reed spoke with a look of awe and curiosity at the power the Forerunners had, and it still boggled his brain at times when he learned of the scale of their powers and technology, some of which were now in the Baxter Building.

Their reality's alien races had great power of course. But the Forerunners were a whole new breed of cat that really stretched the boundaries of things, judging by the sheer scale of tech they could command.

"Well I wouldn't worry too much, me and Redeeming have it all safe and sound on board the Dawn, and back home of course we just need to get a better grip on it before we end up blowing ourselves up."

The blue lighted woman spoke from her holo emitter.

"The Spartan must agree with you there, he seems to more pragmatic than most military men I have met."

"Yeah, John may act like a caveman sometime but he does know how to use that melon of his when the situation calls for it. Trust me, he can do things that give even my systems a workout, and I worked with him for years."

Cortana replies with a smile.

Victor had heard enough at this point and cut off the connection as he went over what was spoken.

"So…they are not alien beings but interdimensional ones." He said to no one as he rose from his throne.

***And what's more, they wield advanced forms human weaponry as well as alien weaponry…possibly technology as well. And who are these Forerunners they spoke of?***

Doom did not like unknowns, as a man of science and of magic he understood that unknown variables often led to disastrous results when left unchecked. And the Spartan and his companions had shown they did not fear him or his resources.

***An error I shall soon correct…*** he thought with a focused fury as he clenched his armor encased fists "**...no one defies the will of Doom, no one!**"

Doom was not aware that he got off easy when it concerned the UNSC. But his arrogance and pride were one day going to come back and bite him in his metal covered backside.

_Back John and Jennifer…_

Both Spartan and Avenger soon arrived to the hotel area after parking the Hog in a lot right next to the building, naturally there was one or two photographers from some of the local papers, and tabloids, to capture the guests of honors arrival.

When She-Hulk made her way to the entrance accompanied by a well known man they naturally jumped at the chance to capture the two on film. John swore he would go blind from all the flashes that came his way, this was one of the times he wished he was wearing polarized glasses, his MJOLNIR Helmet, even the standard ODST helmet would be welcomed right about now.

They made their to the hotel lobby where they were directed to the elevator that would take them to the high rise ballroom was being used.

"I think I am still seeing stars from all the bulbs." John calmly said despite the irritation he felt at being photographed, as he never did like being in the spotlight.

Jennifer giggled at the man's comment.

"Oh John, don't worry too much it's common for them to take a look at who my date for the evening is and jump at the chance for a scoop."

"I understand the purpose of it, but it does not mean I have to enjoy being made a spectacle Jen."

"Your right, I should have given you fair warning before hand." Jennifer replied with honest regret, she kept in mind that John disliked being in the limelight, that much she knew from speaking with Cortana and Miranda. He might not mind being pictured for morale boosting purposes, but that was it and nothing more.

John let out a sigh before facing her.

"No, don't apologize…I just need to adjust to my settings, sorry if I soured the mood."

"It's okay, we are here to relax and enjoy the evening, just remember that if at any moment you feel like the situations getting to much for you just tell me okay? We are here to relax no get stressed."

The Gamma powered woman spoke in earnest as she was pleased that he was able to recover.

"All right, and I will try to…lighten up, I believe the phrase goes."

That earned another smile from her just as the elevator reached its destination as she knew that when he gave his word, he meant it.

They soon stepped in to a lavish setting of people in high priced wardrobe, fancy food and upbeat music, the center of the room had couples dancing or to the far right a mini bar for those who wished for a small night cape.

Jen showed her invitation to a man next to the doors who allowed them entry into the festive atmosphere.

"And there is the guest of honor."

A man's voice caught their attention as a man in his 30's with graying black hair and brown eyes approached with a warm smile.

"A pleasure to see you again Mr. Davis."

Jen politely replied kindly and with a smile of her own.

"Now, now my dear, you may address me as Jacob after all the hard work you did in helping my family to find justice for our son."

Jacob Davis spoke as he held out his hand in greeting which she gently took into her own. He then turned to look at her guest and found the imposing figure of the Master Chief staring back at him.

This caught him by surprise though he was quick to relax as he knew that Jennifer Walters was a good person and that would mean her companion could be trusted. However, he looked rather familiar to him as well…the question was where?

"Who might this gentleman be?"

"John Mendez-Halsey, I'm a friend of Ms. Walters, Mr. Davis."

Chief replied neutrally as he held out his hand.

"Mendez-Halsey? You wouldn't by any chance the detective would you?"

Jacob found himself asking as he shook the man's hand.

"The same sir."

That made Davis smile even more now that he recognized the man. He had heard much praise directed at John for his duties as security consultant, body guard and detective. The fact that he had a clean record and had not done business with any known corrupt groups or people added to that.

"Then this is truly an honor to meet such a fine upstanding man such as you here. The case that you solved that started your rise in the community was to me your finest case. I can say that it's nice to see a good man of your stature doing his duty."

"I have heard many positive things about yourself sir, I wish you good luck in any humanitarian endeavors you undertake."

"I simply wish to give back to the community regardless of what the tabloids say about this being a tax deduction; I do enjoy seeing the faces of the people I help."

It was then another person cut in, one the Chief recognized from the files they had on hand regarding superhuman who lived in this reality.

"Excuse me, Peter Parker from the Daily Bugle…" spoke a man with light brown hair and eyes carrying a camera as well as a press pass clipped onto his tuxedo. "…mind if I take a picture of the three of you."

***I can't believe John came to this kind of shin dig…with She-Hulk no less! I wonder if this is the beginning of something more between the two. Though I thought I saw two of the X-ladies give her the stink eye.***

The arachnid powered hero thought to himself.

"Of course not, unless either of you have any objections?" Jacob asked the two heroes.

"Not at all, how about you John?" Jennifer asks as she did not want to alienate the Spartan.

"I don't see the harm." He replied, though he wasn't all that comfortable with this he looked on the positive side of things, with Spider-man here helps him in regards to what the Forerunner A.I alerted them to previously in regards to the Kingpin.

The three posed, with Jen between the two men, linking her arm through John's and inwardly smiling as he did not shy away from the contact, a momentary flinch was his response but he settled down immediately.

A snap and a flash latter and they were set.

"Thanks, this should keep my boss happy."

***For like 10 seconds…at most.***

Peter drily thought as he knew JJ was not the most jovial of individuals, he wasn't a bad person, gruff and rough around the edges but hardly the likes of Osborn or Octavious. Those two he could live without since despite the way JJ acted, he DID have his better moments, shame they were not that many.

"Parker! Where the devil are you!?" the Editor and Chief of the Bugle bellowed.

"_Speak of the devil…_"

Peter muttered, the Spartan heard him easily enough and questioned how the man handled the other gentleman who constantly attacked him through the media.

Jonah Jameson's file was known to John as he always did field work before making assessments, and while he disliked rumor mongering, he did know that Jameson did have some reason behind his actions.

Said man came marching through the people, allowing the Spartan to finally see the man. J. Jonah Jameson had salt and peppered hair in a flat top cut, mustache and a stern look on his face. Behind him was a younger gentleman in an air force uniform, brown hair and well-kept physique…this was John Jameson, Jonah's son.

"Parker! I've been looking for you all over the place."

"Dad, remember the doctor said to ease up on the anger." John spoke calmly to his father while giving Peter and apologetic look, and also spotting Jen and her date. The very second he spotted the Spartan, he knew that he was not dealing with a regular guy.

***Whoa! Big guy, definitely military though I don't recognize the uniform…maybe Navy, though I have never met one who was so pale.***

The astronaut thought as he went to introduce himself.

"Hello Jen, how have you been? And who is this?" He spoke to the Avenger.

"Hey John, I've been doing well thank you for asking, and this my date for the evening John Mendez-Halsey." She spoke as she separated from John so as to let him introduce himself.

"Colonel John Jameson at your service." Jameson held out his hand as he introduced himself to the soldier.

"John Mendez-Halsey, former Master Chief Petty Officer." The Spartan replied with a neutral face and a "firm" handshake.

"Got some grip there Mendez, though you look kind of young for achieving such a high rank no offense intended of course."

"I get that a lot, just a matter of keeping fit and busy."

"I know how it goes." Jameson replies with a smile.

"Well you have to my boy; you're the pride of the Air Force." Jonah spoke up proudly as he gripped his son's shoulder and gave him a smile.

"Heh, not yet dad but who knows? Maybe I'll get that star eventually."

"You'll get there son…" Jonah commented before turning to look at Spartan and like his son and everyone else, he knew of John's work in public.

"…as for you Mr. Mendez, heard a lot about you it's good to see someone deal out some justice without powers or a mask."

Jonah spoke as he offered his hand in greeting, the Spartan replied in kind.

"I am just a man doing what he feels is right sir, nothing more or less." John in all honesty replied.

"Now see this is what this city needs more of, honest men with some values and humility, not like that showboating wall crawler."

John gave Peter a discreet look and so him mouthing "here we go again" while rubbing his eyes. Jen also shared a look of annoyance though he didn't understand why; though he theorized it was more than likely she had heard this all before and was tired of it.

From what he understood, Spider-man was in the middle ground when it came to his fellow heroes many respected his dedication while others found his antics to taunting of his foes stressing.

He had not really had a chance to interact with the man while in "uniform" so he only had the reports SHIELD had gathered to form an idea of him. The only way he could truly get a feel for Peter is if they worked together in a case or mission. And from what he learned, he had no doubt that time was going to come to them both.

"Well sir while I believe you are in the right to voice your opinion of the man, I believe he is not as he is often portrayed by the media."

"Oh? How do you mean John?"

Jen cut in as she knew enough about Jameson through his son to know that one wrong phrase and it would set him off.

***I may not like the web head but that doesn't mean I don't respect him, heck taking that much verbal abuse and not snap earns him some in my book.***

She thought as she focused on what the Spartan had to say, she wasn't the only one as Peter was curious as well.

"I like to think the man is rather determined and responsible to his cause to help the people of the city despite their dislike. He reminds me of some of my fellow teammates and officers I had worked with during my tours in the Navy."

"Yeah well you didn't wear a mask and presume to know what the people need like some vigilante. I always worry about how long it will be before he turns rogue honestly. I heard of him being some entertainer in a wrestling ring in the past, never thought much of it until he tried being a vigilante. That's not a good thing in my mind."

Jonah refuted.

"I shall concede that I did not pretend to know what was better for the masses, I was a soldier who followed orders and sought to complete the mission…" a look of melancholy briefly passed over his eyes as he recalled the Spartans who died in the augmentations, Sam and Avery, along with all the others who he knew would never return, unlike Miranda and all the countless other men and women who died fighting to save humanity where he came from.

"…sometimes at the cost of the lives of my friends and people under my command."

***Oh John…*** the jade Amazon saw the look and felt a stab of pity and sadness for the man and what he had lost.

Peter for his part, having heard about the sacrifices the man had made, tried to relate his sacrifices to the Spartan's and found himself coming up short.

***I lost Uncle Ben, Gwen, Cpt. Stacy, Harry, Jean…He lost his whole family and friends to genocidal aliens, space parasites and killer A.I. How did he keep going when I practically have hung up my webs at least twice or brooded about life being unfair.***

It was something the webslinger wanted to ask him but held off for now.

John continued as he saw some of the looks he was receiving but chose not to voice them, he wasn't one for pity after all, it wouldn't bring them back after all.

"That was my burden to bear, lives depended on us and we acted to the best of our abilities despite the dangers to see the mission through…I do not dare to presume to know what motivates him, but I assume he too shoulders similar responsibilities for reasons only known to him."

"Besides any man who has made enemies such as him must find some way to protect his identity for the sake of his family and if hiding his face is how he does it then one has to respect his choice in the matter. If he revealed himself, then those people who he fights will not hesitate to harm them to get to him."

"Hard to trust a man who lacks the courage to show his face likes all the other men and women out there enforcing the law, who do so day in and day out without powers I might add."

Jonah rebutted.

"True, I shall concede that point however he's deeds should outweigh any mistrust garnered and should prove his intentions should they not?"

John asked the man who tried to find an appropriate response yet came up short.

"He does raise a valid point JJ." Peter quipped with a hint of a smile.

"Shut up Parker, I don't pay you to opinion…and get back to work!" The man grumbled as he walked away.

"Wow, and I thought only Robbie could pull that off." The Colonel spoke with a humorous tone.

"That makes two of us." Peter added before turning though John spoke before he could leave.

"Mr. Parker? Would you mind if talked for a moment?"

"Uh sure no problem." Peter replied in a bit of surprise since he had not expected John to want to talk to him.

"Jennifer I shall be back in a moment." The Spartan said to his evening companion.

"Mr. Davis will show me to the table so I'll save you a seat."

"Thank you Jennifer as well as you Mr. Davis."

"None are needed Mr. Mendez, any friend of Mrs. Walters can consider themselves friends of mine." Jacob replied as he led She-Hulk to his table while John and Peter moved towards the mini bar.

"What can I do for you John?"

"I have need of your expertise in a certain matter regarding your 'other' job, if you catch my meaning." John spoke neutrally as he kept his eyes and ears open for any eavesdroppers.

"Oh…you mean," Peter looked around just case "_…as Spider-man?_" he whispered, earning a nod from the Spartan.

"Redeeming came across some interesting information regarding a certain crime boss you have had dealings with."

Peter did not need to wager a guess on who said boss was.

"Fisk." Peter spat.

***Only him, wonder what he did to get under John's skin. As much as I know of Fisk, it's got to be pretty bad.***

"The same, he plans to bring in some illegal shipments for the Russian mob and bring in hired muscle of the special variety."

"I get where you're going with this, you need me for back up." It was a statement of fact than a question.

"Yes as well as information on likely choices in regards to who he would select, I do not like walking into unknown situations and my experience with the super powered criminals is limited to my confrontation with Rhino and our incursion in the Amazon. I can wager a guess there are more of them who I don't know of and some more them you might know of."

"Hey, like I said back at X-central I got your back John, and I know some guys who could lend a hand who would want in no questions asked. Though I think you should talk to them in person so they get a better feel for you. They do trust me in a sense, but they don't know you're…well, you know what I mean."

"Hmm…" John placed a hand on his chin as he thought about the inclusion of others of the street heroes.

***It could serve to get a better read on the other super heroes of the city and boost the chances of success. And at least I and the others can have allies when we need them.***

"All right I have the location of where you so I'll come get you on Monday to see who you have in mind, is that acceptable for you?"

"Perfectly." Peter replied as he was glad he wasn't going in guns blazing and with some back up for once.

"Until then Mr. Parker." John replied as he offered his hand.

"Likewise, and good luck with your date Chief I get the feeling you won't need it but you never know with an Avenger."

Chief gave a small chuckle at that before nodding and leaving to rejoin Jennifer.

She was chatting with a woman in a black evening dress who looked to be in her 30's. Jennifer spotted him coming and smiled at him.

"John, this is Mrs. Davis, and I we were just talking about you."

"Yes, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Mendez. I am Elena Davis and I hear you are quite the accomplished detective." Jacob's wife spoke with warmth as she offered her hand in greeting.

"The pleasure is mine Mrs. Davis." The hero of the UNSC replied in kind as he took the offered hand in greeting.

"Please have a seat, we were about to begin the meal and I would love to hear more about what you do."

"Thank you ma'am."

With that they dinner was presented to the guests who peacefully enjoyed the quiet meal. Though Jen was the center of attention, John was often asked things such as passed cases, how he met Jennifer and even his adopted daughter.

"Mr. Mendez, I f I may be so bold to ask…" Jacob started to ask "…aren't you afraid anti mutant groups would target you for taking on some of their members?"

"It was a possibility I took into account when I took in Karen, but I refuse to let fear dictate my choices. These bigots are more than welcome to take their issues up with me, though I cannot guarantee they shall like my response."

John's veiled threat was not lost on the people gathered and knew he was quite serious. His willingness to shoot and kill said bigots were proof of it as well.

After that things calmed down and some of the guests took to the dance floor. Jen took a look and decided something then and there.

"John, would you care to dance with me?"

John was caught off guard by this even if his face hardly showed it.

"Jen I would like to honor your request, unfortunately dancing of any kind was not in my training regimen back at the Academy."

He replied reluctantly.

"Well that simply will not do…" she said with mock seriousness as she removed her shoes so they stood at the same height, standing up she offered her hand to him and smiles "…you sir are going to learn from a master."

"I…are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Why Chief…don't tell me you're shy to dance with little 'ol me."

She said with a twinkle in her eye that earned her a raised eyebrow in response.

"Think of it as a mission, one I don't think you can fail if you set your mind to it, hmm?"

"Well when you put it that way, how could I refuse?"

The veteran of the Great War replied in a challenging tone as he took her hand and let himself be led to the dance floor. He knew that he got suckered into this, but he might as well go ahead and go for it.

It was difficult at first since he was not used to this sort of thing, but through pure stubbornness he grasped the basics soon enough much to her delight. They danced for several minutes until the final song came, this one being a slow song that saw the Avenger and Spartan stand very close to one another.

Jennifer rested her head on his shoulder with her eyes close as she enjoyed the warmth and feel of his body holding her.

*SIGH*

***Now this I could get use too.***

John for his part found the strange yet pleasant; he caught scent of her perfume and found it unique.

***Jasmine…it suits her, why do I believe that though?***

Finally the song ended much to her disappointment and thus making them release each other.

"Thank you for the dance lesson Jen." A hint of a smile was on the Chief's face when he said that, one she gladly accepted and repaid with one of her own.

"Thank you for being such a good student."

"I believe we should call it a night."

"All right, let me just say good bye first." She spoke as she went to their table to grab her shoes and speak to the Davis couple.

_Meanwhile with Kurt and Miranda…_

Both calmly walked towards the house where the UNSC crew live in, basking in the peace and quiet the night gave off.

They have both thoroughly enjoyed their evening; Kurt had shared some of his more humorous stories of his time with the team, while Miranda spoke of her Academy days before the War.

After leaving the restaurant they took a leisurely stroll through a nearby park, before finally deciding to call it a night. Kurt insisted in escorting her home regardless of some of the racial slurs some people had thrown their way.

He had a particularly good laugh when a gruff looking gentleman called her a "mutant loving slut" and Miranda's response, one worthy of Logan's respect, was to calmly hand Kurt her purse and then thrust a knee to his groin that made the X-man wince in sympathy and deliver a right hook to the man's jaw.

Her final comment that at least she wasn't a racial asshole was very satisfying.

Now both stood in front of the open doorway to their home.

"Well, despite the earlier incident at the end, I really enjoyed my time with you Kurt." The Commanders smile was all the proof he needed to tell she was being honest with him.

"I do not know about that, I did find it rather entertaining when you made the gentleman hit the high note." He replied with a smirk.

"Oh? Well aren't you the mischievous little devil Mr. Wagner."

"Shh, don't tell anyone frauline…" he said in a whisper as he looked to the sides "…it may ruin my image." He finished with a wink of his eye that made her actually giggle.

"Oh Kurt, I truly did enjoy myself…we should do this again sometime?" she asked, biting her lip in an odd show of nervousness.

***Oh man, what are you doing? What if he thinks you're being too forward?***

"I would like that, your treat this time my dear?" she asked with a warm smile on his face.

"Sure, just say when and will see what kind of fun we can have."

"Well then it is a date liebchen, and until that time I must bid you a fond filled good night." He spoke kindly, though his next action surprised her as he gently took her hand into his own and placed a gentle kissed on it.

She could swear that her face light up like a Christmas tree when he did so.

With that done, he back flipped away, landing gently on the sidewalk before bowing and in less than a second…

*BAMF!*

Miranda for her part smiled into the night as she went inside their house with happy thoughts.

***I hope the Chief enjoyed himself as much as I did.***

_At the Avengers Mansion…_

Parking just outside the gate both John and Jennifer stepped out of the vehicle and stood there for a while.

"I really enjoyed my time with you John." She said with a radiant smile on her face that had him mirror her action albeit a small one for him.

"I share the sentiment as well Jen, it was…nice, thank you for inviting me."

"Care to walk a lady to her doorstep?" She asked as she held out her arm.

He said nothing but nod and intertwine his arm with hers and calmly lead her inside. Once at the door the security measures registered her presence and allowed to unlock the door.

She stood at the threshold before turning to look at the Spartan one last time.

"Thanks again for going with me John; I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

"It was thanks to you that I did, perhaps Cortana will stop accusing me of being a stick in the mud from now on."

Her laugh was enchanting as she imagined the UNSC A.I calling such a dangerous man that and get away with it.

"Well than I guess that means that I have done my job well. Well just one thing left to do…" she said with a calm look about her as she leaned in and gently kissed him on the cheek.

John was stunned for a second time because of her, something she took pride in.

"Good night John." Was all she said before going inside and locking the door.

"I got bad, Heh, I so got it bad." She said to no one as she made her way to her room, all the time smiling.

John had gotten back into the Hog, yet did not immediately start the car…slowly he touched the place where Jen kissed him and found himself feeling warm and relax.

***What is this I'm feeling?*** He wondered not for the first time at the pleasant sensation.

The feeling did not leaving until he finally reached home.

Once there he schooled his features and went inside, a nearby holotank came online with Cortana's image coming through.

"Enjoy yourself?" She asked with smirk.

"If you must know than yes, we had a very calm and peaceful time."

"Good, it's about time you learn to take a breather now and then John, but I got good news."

"Oh?"

"We did it John, we successfully sent the probe to our reality and now we just have to wait." The UNSC A.I swelled with pride as she said that.

And John felt something else that night before going to sleep, something he had not felt since the final days of the war…hope, hope that everything would be all right for them.

To be continued…

A/N: I bet a lot of you did not expect me to go that route with Kurt and Miranda huh? What can I say? He is one of my favorite characters and I hope to God Marvel finally wakes up and brings him back proper.

Now I may keep this little budding friendship going or I may decide to make it something more than that, time and my muse will tell.

As you can see I have not forgotten the Halo verse and will try to work it in between the Chief/Spidey/? Brawl with the Kingpin's forces. Who am I having them face well th…

"Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!" A very Hyper Deadpool suddenly appear much my disgust.

"What the fuck are you doing here!?" I ask the ugly bastard with much disdain "…shouldn't you be ripping off a version of the Punisher kills the Marvel U?"

"Hey! It's not my fault Marvel wanted to show me doing what I do best! And what does Castle have that I don't?"

"Do you want me to list them alphabetically or numerically?"

"Hey I was in MvC 3! I was the leading actor in the Wolverine Movie! I beat Bullseye!"

"You handle like a beat up truck in the game, the movie sucked balls, and everyone has beaten him, even the Punisher…without a healing factor or teleportation device."

Deadpool's lips tremble and eyes water (how I can tell they are doing that and why the tears slip through so easily baffle me) before he runs to corner to cry.

"God! He is such a little girl!"

*SOB!*

"I heard that!"

"I don't give a shit you overgrown turd!"

Sorry about that folks, I make no promises regarding the wimpy turd over there, but will see who I select for the opposition, may make it Sinister Six, Mercs or a combination of both.

Karen's final power set is up for grabs, right now it stands to supers strength, hardening scales and appearance, I could go either with a draconian look (i.e. wings and horns.) or more reptilian base (i.e. tail, senses and possibly clinging to walls ability similar to Anole) I would like to hear your opinions.

Now Jennifer has had her turn with the Chief, so I think I'll go with one of the lovely X-ladies who have taken a shine to him. Have to think hard on what kind of setting I want his next interaction to be in.

Some may also note that Valeria is still a baby here, the reason is that in the time period I am using Doom help Sue give birth to her and all he asked in exchange was for her o be named Valeria…what they didn't know was that he would use her as his familiar.

This would lead in to where he gets sent to Hell, Ben is killed, the remaining three go to Latveria to destroy all Doom built which places them in conflict with the US, lose the public's trust, go to Heaven and meet "God" and bring back Ben…and as we know it later becomes prequel to CW where Doom goes after Thor's hammer.

This probably won't be the last time I reference to a story from Marvel lore, I only I could find more material easily.

Man that was a mouthful!

Regarding my other stories, I am currently working on updating my Stoppable Rules! Fic, followed by my Darkstalker cross and then comes what will be hardest challenge…Halo/DC…Amazon arc.

Now I won't be able to answer all the reviews but don't be discouraged if I do not address your comments, I have read them and I am thankful for your continued support:

FrontLever: Thanks for the support friend hope I can keep the flow going and not suffer a setback like in my Castlevania cross. Can you believe it took me a week to write this? Man my muse sure is strange when it comes to my work.

Fyrflame: Can't make any promises friend, I have seen the latest weapons that have been unveiled and aside from the Prometheans we don't know much about what is to come.

Moleman171: Honestly the Hulk fight was one of my bigger challenges and one I still feel could have been more, if I make the rematch it will be interesting to see if I can top that. HIC match was me doing something crazy and going with it.

scrap333: Thanx, I try to keep this sucker going but there are days it gets rough, will definitely see some Halo verse next time, and I am thinking of doing something with the SIV generation.

mcknight93: Haven't read your work in a while man, you still writing? I actually was enjoying where you took the Chief in ME and TR. Hope you like what I did with the Chief here on his date.

Andrithir: Since I had not read the Halsey Journal I had to plan accordingly and draw inspiration from other fan fic writers and see what worked and what didn't. The armor will eventually be updated again, so you are given a heads up.

When will you continue your story? Your ME fic is marvelous and I would like to see how you handle the Marvel verse as you have him without back up and what limited resources he has.

Jyggilag: No action here but I will compensate with some in the next chapter. Who should join Chief will be a challenge unto itself so I must tread carefully.

cj-cold: Glad you appreciated that part with Wolvie, I figured he would respect a man who isn't afraid of his reputation or his attitude so long as he returned that respect.

I will have him and Peter have a chat before they meet up with their first recruit, may be have the Chief offer him some help in both his identities. Let's face Peter is probably one of the most selfless people around and rarely does things go his way in either facet of his life.

Those materials I showed while play a role later on when the Halo verse gets a look at them.

GodzillaMaster: Actually I believe it was a steel-vibranium amalgam that has never been cracked by modern MU scientists.

Freedom Guard" I just want to say again, thank you for all your help man…you ever need me for something you ask. Well one lucky X-gal will get her tune, would appreciate any ideas you can give besides the ones you have already sent. Karen's origin story? Will have to decide first where I want her mutation to branch out of before I go making an origin story.

Kurogane7: It is about damn time hasn't it? Hope the wait wasn't too unpleasant for you.

Angry lil' elf: First off I heard you taking inspiration from me for your fic, I am honored you chose my work for that, with that said don't copy my work…expand upon it, surpass what I have done, go beyond the limitations I have set and create new ones for others.

I am intrigued by some of what you have done with Fable and Marvel, just be careful about how you balance your characters as you show a inclination to overpowering them, I struggle with this every time I take my words to the pages…all I can say to you is sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail, but it is in the struggle to achieve our goal that we find strength and purpose.

Do not let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough, not everyone will like your work, draw strength from their negative comments to throw it back at them and say you have not cowed me into submission, you have only made me stronger.

That's all for now, Peace out!


	14. Chapter 14

Land of heroes.

First off thank you for your kind words and support for my family and me after we went through the ordeal of having our house robbed, it shows there are still good people in the world capable of caring for their fellow man.

Well here we are again folks, another chapter in the story that is Halo/Marvel, I had to split this because it was getting way to big so expect the fights scenes in the next chapter (which is at around 60% from being completed), so I have indeed selected the opponents while here you will see who else besides Peter will join the Master Chief in this sting op, mostly street types since I felt that they would be better suited instead of the global threat heroes.

You will also see a little of Miranda and the X-men as they deal with their kids snooping around. And heads up, Halo verse makes a cameo and since I am feeling the need to shake things up, to the first person to guess correctly what the assigned number to the Chief's universe means will get to choose which of the three X-ladies gets to spend some time with him. Here's a hint it is a character from the books of importance and appears in more than one, whoever gets it I will notify through a PM.

Also after the replies to some of the reviews from the previous chapter I will address and issue that has been asked of me by some of my fellow colleagues and readers who are also comic book readers about the current state of affairs regarding Marvel Comics new direction. If you do not wish to read that please refrain from doing so, also my intent here is to express an opinion and not incite tempers, I have had the distinct "pleasure" of being verbally bashed due to my opinions on recent story arcs that took place and do not wish for more.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

"Speaking"

"_Whispering – Cortana speaking in the armor_"

"_Redeeming Bias speaking_"

***Thoughts***

*Sound effect*

-Media or transmission—

Chapter 11 part 1:

_Parker Residence…_

The woman known to many as Mary Jane Watson-Parker lived a rather unique life, now how unique one could ask? Although she was an accomplished model/actress it was her marriage that set her apart from other "normal" relationships, except for those who shared her status, that being married to a superhero. Which one? The often misunderstood yet still friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, or as she knew him Peter Parker, her loving husband.

Life hadn't been easy for them because of his dual lifestyle as a freelance photographer/teacher and heroic vigilante. But somehow through all the trials and all the struggles, the losses and victories, they made it work much to the surprise of many in the know of who he was under mask.

They had faced many tragedies in their marriage, the sad loss of a child, the kidnappings, near deaths experiences…but they endured, they stay together and support one another in their endeavors. She was honest with herself when she wished he wouldn't risk himself so much but deep down the words of his dearly departed Uncle would always bring him back to the mask.

So she would be his support when he needed it, because no one else could understand him like she could. Not his Aunt, not his Ex-lovers not his super heroic friends and allies, as that was her right as his wife and she would do so because he gave her just as much when she needed him too.

Today would be another unique day for her, as she would be receiving a special visitor who was in need of her husband's aid.

She was currently siting in the living room of their modest apartment, enjoying a nice soothing cup of tea and going over a script sent to her for an up and coming play.

***Hmm, I like the setup, good character build up…plot is a bit iffy though.***

She thinks as she goes over it, she was not going to just about to jump on any show as she had her standards and a critical eye on things, she liked to get a feel for a story before jumping into anything. The last thing she wanted was to get her into a role that turns out to be a sham of sorts

Her reading was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door.

***Huh? That's odd, Peter said he was going to be a little late for lunch and May didn't say anything about visiting.***

She thinks as she sets down the script and makes her way towards the door. Taking a look through the doors peephole she was a bit surprised to find a fairly large and somewhat pale man in the other side.

She debated the pros and cons of answering and then decided to do so but be ready for anything. Having dealt with some of the criminals who called New York home, and even brushing elbows with some of her husband's villains, she learned how to defend herself on the off chance she was attacked. But she was also aware that jumping the gun was a bad idea. So carefully she opened the door while leaving the chain on.

"Yes? Can I help you?"

"Good day, my name is John Mendez-Halsey; I'm here to see your husband Peter."

"Is he expecting you?"

"Yes ma'am, he said he would around at this hour."

"Would you mind waiting out here while I confirm that? I don't mean to be rude but…"

"I understand ma'am, one can never be too careful."

She gave him a nod before going back inside and towards the phone; they had their numbers on speed dial for emergencies so no need to dial. Thankfully the line is free and her husband answered quickly…from the sound of a certain cranky publisher's less than discreet bellows he is at the Daily Bugle.

-Hey MJ.—

"Peter, are you expecting anyone by the name of John Mendez?"

-Oh crap! I knew I forgot something!—

"I'll take that as a yes then?"

She quips much to her lover's embarrassment and her amusement since getting the chance to needle her husband good naturedly was something she liked.

-Yeah, sorry about that, JJ wanted his pictures overnight and I was tired that I completely forgot. Is he there with you?—

"Outside the apartment, I wasn't sure if he was on the level."

-Oh, ok I can see how that could happen but trust me he is more than on the level Honey. He knows about my "other" job, if you get my meaning.—

"Oh…" she was silent at that "…is he a part of your special group?"

-Something like that, I can't go into details over the phone but trust me you will not find a person more decent than him...except Cap but don't tell him I said that—

"Ok Peter, will you be long?"

She replies with no sign of doubt, if her husband said she could trust the man then she believed him. Peter was not the kind to trust anyone with his 'other' job unless they were really on the level.

-Well, JJ is just starting his typical anti-spider rant so I'd say…10 minutes before I can get out.—

-PARKER! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE OR YOU'RE FIRED! — The unmistakable bellow of J. Jonah Jameson is heard over the line, much to her displeasure.

***Note to self, make Peter his favorite dish tonight and plan for a long and pleasant time in the bedroom in the very near future.***

She thinks privately as she just knows how Peter gets stressed after dealing with his boss. How he managed to stomach Jonah Jameson when he got like that amazed her to no end, but despite his bad points, namely when it came to lambasting her husband she knew that the man did do some good things such as civil rights. And despite the fact he had death threats coming from many less scrupulous individuals, Jonah refused to back down.

"I'll see you soon honey, love you." She says warmly.

-I love you too MJ. — He replies equally to her.

*CLICK!*

Setting the phone back in its place she goes to properly greet the man.

***I hope he doesn't feel upset I had him wait out here.***

Opening the door she finds the Spartan patiently standing in the hallway with no sign of being tired or bothered.

"Sorry about that, my husband tells me you are aware of his _other_ civic minded activities, still I hope you don't hold it against us for being cautious."

The redhead says as she lets him in their home.

"Not at all Mrs. Parker, I have read up on him and do not fault your precautions given the less than savory individuals he has met over the years."

John replies in kind and he meant it as well, Peter's list of enemies was long and thus he understood the caution they had.

"Please, call me MJ or Mary Jane, if Peter trusts you with his secret than there is no reason to be so formal around us."

"If you insist…Mrs. Par I mean MJ."

The Spartan replies a bit stiffly as he was not use to this level of informality with a civilian. With Commander Keyes & Cortana due to his…friendships with them yes and naturally with Karen given what she was to him also but with a perfect stranger? No, not completely if ever if he was honest with himself. Though the woman felt very much at ease around him once it was confirmed he was not out to harm either her or her husband, though he could easily detect the small undercurrent of caution she held she still had.

***Understandable in a way given what he has faced, how many have come after him and the one who acquired knowledge on his identity and pursuit of destroying everything the man holds dear.***

It was one thing he didn't like about this world's justice system; these criminals…these super villains were always imprisoned yet never executed for their crimes no matter how horrible or damaging. Often siting that their abilities render them mentally unstable to be fully held accountable, and while that is true in cases such as this Norman Osborn or Cletus Cassidy, others were well thought out individuals with massive ego's, intellects or resources.

In the UEG and UNSC men like these would be put down either in a court sanctioned sentence or in the case of say Doom or Fisk, covertly assassinated with a good cover up story in place as well as someone to step in and take in the reins of power until it could be removed. Sadly he couldn't do that here since they lacked the means by which to enact such a cover up as well as the inevitable upsurge in crime and terrorism that would come to fill in the power vacuum.

***Of course that hasn't stopped Cortana from trying given the threat Doom represents.***

He thinks as he recalls the moments he catches her researching the despot…or self-proclaimed world savior. The guy would have earned the firing squad back home. Or if Admiral Cole was still around, be stored in a HEV and fired right into a brown dwarf star, even the most corrupt in ONI would have gladly had the man executed for that. And if Doom pushed his luck with him one more time, then he was going to personally execute the despot and make sure nothing would bring him back.

His thoughts were interrupted as the woman was speaking to him.

"Would you like anything to drink while we wait for Peter? I have some tea on the stove if you like, or I can make some coffee if you prefer."

"Tea is fine."

He simply replies in a neutral yet still respectful tone.

She nods and goes to fetch some for their guest; she would admit he seems a bit… rigid when she recalls all of Peter's other friends and acquaintances in the cape community.

***Though given Johnny's and Felicia's live life to the fullest philosophy or Ben's in your face blunt honesty, I'm surprised I don't believe everyone's that way, still…***

Mary Jane couldn't help but feel this man was somewhat limited in his interaction with her. She would try to get a feel for him before her husband arrived, making an attempt to understand him before jumping to conclusions. The last thing she wanted was to make a conclusion that would be negative and sour any relations that were good between Peter and John Mendez Halsey.

"So Mr. Mendez, how is it you know my husband?"

She asks as she comes back with a cup as well as the tea in question.

"I met him several weeks ago when I and others chose to reveal ourselves to him and the other meta-human teams that live in this city."

"Oh, and who might you be?"

"Pardon?"

He naturally asks, though he does have an inkling of what she is asking.

"You're…um codename? Guess that's what I should call it?"

"I am not a superhero, I am a soldier from another reality with my rank being Master Chief Petty Officer and I am a Spartan II Commando. No doubt you saw the news already so I have no doubt the name is familiar."

"Wait a minute! You're the one who faced off against the Hulk!"

MJ simply could not help hide her amazement, his fight was all over the news and even Peter told her how brutal it was both on him and the other heroes. Namely on how badly either of them had been hurt, though the worst one was obviously the Spartan. How the heck he was still alive and right here in front of her was a miracle in itself.

"Yes I was, probably one of the most dangerous undertakings in my life to be honest."

***One in a long list of many such instances now that I think about it.***

John says to himself with a bit of weariness, showing he sometimes did grow tired of a life of conflict. If anyone thought Spartans reveled in war, namely he and the other Spartan II's, none of them did as war took a lot out of them. Will lost his ability to make jokes and lighten the mood and he would not even begin to talk about the grief they carried losing brothers and sisters in war…least of all him. He never forgot the deaths of so many of his brothers and sisters who died in augmentations. Sam's death was the hardest ever since the war with the Covenant started, along with Arthur and Solomon's deaths, Daisy's and many others.

MJ saw a look pass through his eyes but chose not to comment on it. She did not know his full story but she had seen enough and learned enough to know that prying into that was not a good idea unless the person was willing to talk about it.

"Well I don't know about this whole reality deal but considering the things you have been reported doing and the people you have saved that pretty much makes you a hero."

"No soldier should be honored for doing his or her duty, I simply do what I feel needs to be done to protect the people, though at times it is not easy."

"Oh? How do you mean?"

She asks as she takes a sip of her tea.

"I am at times…confused about your justice system's lack of action regarding the super powered criminals that wreak havoc on the city or at times the world. While there are indeed men and women capable of stopping them they are constantly placed in institutions that on occasion fail to contain them or at worst they plead insanity and get off light. And then come back to cause even more chaos than before."

"So you believe they should be executed?"

MJ's tone is neutral as she asks, waiting for him to speak before passing any judgment.

"In some of the more dangerous cases such as Norman Osborn, Otto Octavious or Cletus Cassidy…yes. These men have either gained terrible power or have the intelligence and attitude to misuse it and bring nothing but pain and misery to the populace. If they were back in my home reality, they would have already gotten the death penalty and be removed."

*SIGH*

"I somewhat agree with you, I don't say this to my husband as I don't want to upset him but there are at times I just wish they were gone so as not to hurt him or his family. He tries so hard to protect everyone and every time those…maniacs are on the loose he works himself something fierce to stop them from hurting anyone and when he fails, it just breaks my heart to see him suffer because he thinks he could have done more."

She says this sadly as she has seen it happen many times.

John sees this and hopes what he says next would help here feel better. In his point of view, Peter Parker was a good man and one of the rare ones who had a good sense of responsibility and willingness to do what they can for others. He was aware of Peter's reasons and respected them well and therefore felt he was a good person and the world needed more like him to balance off all the less than trustworthy ones.

"He is a good man, this city is very lucky to have a man so dedicated to its protection. From what I have read about his actions he has saved many lives against normal criminals and super criminals, some I am told outclassed him such as this Juggernaut."

"Oh that one was one of his most crazy ones, I mean I have heard stories about the guy being able to fight the Hulk but the fact that Peter managed to pull off that win was something no one could believe and let me tell about the time he faced the Hulk…"

And so for the next few minutes MJ entertained the Spartan with some of the adventures she was aware her husband took part in. He took this all in feeling it gave him a better feel for the man; he felt Johnson would have liked the man.

***Johnson always did have an odd sense of humor when in tough spots. He would have had a field day with Parker.***

It was at that scene that Peter arrived at seeing MJ holding the super soldier's attention. He couldn't help but smile at that, thinking just how lucky he was in having MJ in his life. If anyone way back had told him that he would marry a beautiful redhead who was an accomplished actress and model and accepted him for all that he was as a teacher, photojournalist and heroic vigilante, he would have called them nuttier than a fruitcake. And of course, all the guys back in high-school who called him a geek and a loser would have been eating their words in envy when they learned of him marrying MJ.

And as much as he did not want to bring back old memories…they would have been double envious if they learned he was once in a relationship, at times a rather physical one, with Black Cat.

***She wasn't kidding when she said I hit the jackpot.***

"Peter!"

She speaks happily as she got up to greet her husband.

He in turn simply met her half way and gave her a kiss on the lips in greeting.

John remained quiet, he could tell these two cared deeply for one another…a part him wondered if this is how it was with his "sister" Maria when she finally got married. He also wondered if he too could have that someday, something that came to him at times when he was with Karen and they way some of the female staff at Xavier's, Louise or the Stepford girls dotted on her.

***I have my hands full raising Karen, I doubt I could be much of a husband.***

He thinks privately, heedless of how many of the women who have witness his interactions with the girl think otherwise. In his view…his lack of being able to truly interact with people, namely those of the opposite gender in more 'normal' settings made that difficult. Apart from Maria though, he knew that some of his Spartans had relationships, namely the leader of Black Team and Black Two. He heard about it and the incident with Red Team and while he never talked to them about it, he never forgot it either.

The couple soon came back to their guest, with Peter offering his hand and which John took giving it a firm shake before getting down to business.

"So you said the not so jolly fat man of crime is up to something and you need my help."

"That is correct, he is smuggling either weapons or drugs into the country, it was also hinted at that he would bring in outside enforcers in case I make an appearance. You have had dealings with the man and know of what type of resistance could be expected."

"Well if it is Fisk we are talking about the man will have the resources to bring in any super powered crook or merc into this. From those he could use that I know would jump at the chance to work for him, there's Bullseye who has worked for the guy many times, from my enemies he's got heavy hitters like Rhino or Scorpion, technological you have Machinesmith and Spider Slayer and as for mercs I hear Taskmaster or even that lunatic Deadpool if he can get passed the guy's craziness factor are available."

"Hmm, I may need assistance then since it sounds like he can bring in anyone he wants."

The Spartan replies thoughtfully.

"Well you got me in your corner, no questions asked and if you're open to it I know a guy who has some skills that can contribute and has worked the streets." Peter speaks as he has a pretty good idea who would jump at the chance.

John thinks it over and nods that it is the correct course of action.

"I would like to speak with him in person to get a feel for them and let them know what they are getting involved with."

"Let me my get my suit since not every one of them knows Peter Parker is Spider-man."

"Understood, who do you wish to contact first?"

John accepts this as he realizes the man has to protect his family. A good choice as he had no doubt that while there possibly were some villains who were aware of Peter's past, the others might not and would not hesitate to attack MJ. And while having heroes who knew his identity was a good thing, sometimes it can be dangerous especially if those heroes in question turned out to be sleeper agents or possibly be captured and tortured for information.

"Oh that's easy; we need to nab a certain Devil who has made it his personal mission to mess with the man."

Peter replies with smirk as he would like to see the reaction Matt will have when he finds out the Spartan wants him in on this and that he knows who he is.

"I see, I will need an address then as well as inform the Commander that I will be procuring allies for the coming operation."

"Will she be joining in on this?"

Peter felt he had to ask, he knew the woman had training but against super powered foes? Well that was a whole other ball game though he also kept in mind how fierce Miranda was, even when she…got killed in the past. The sight of her being shot in the back by megalomaniacal alien was NOT something he liked to recall.

"No, we have some cases lined up and she will be dealing with some of them. I also feel the more focus on me the safer she will be as her, Karen, Redeeming and Cortana's safety are priority 1for me."

Peter smiled when he heard him include his adopted daughter's name; he had heard how fondly he spoke of her during the party and saw his interactions with the little girl at the mansion. He felt better knowing the man was getting something he was denied when he was conscripted so long ago. The idea of being stripped of all you are and being turned into a living weapon and knowing that a clone fated to die took your place, leaving you dead in the eyes of the world was abhorrent to him, very much. So any chance for John to reconnect with the human side of things was all right in his books. Though he recalled the way some of the women in the X-men and the female Avengers had eyes on him, which should be interesting in his books

"Well no time like the present then." Peter says as he gets up and writes down the address of Matt's law offices "…I'll get there first to give him a heads up."

John nods in turn at that and lets the man get ready and speak with his wife.

"Be careful out there Tiger."

His wife says as always whenever he is about to go out as Spider-man, he knows just how much she worries but that just gives him more reason to try harder and come back to her.

"You know I will babe, after all I am amazing." He replies with a smirk that gets a giggle and playful slap out of her.

"Don't smart with me Mr. Parker."

"Oh? But I thought that was what made you fall for me Mrs. Parker."

"Well it was that and some _other_ talents you have."

The coy smile she gave had him go beet red which was certainly new to him.

***And I thought Felicia was only capable of doing that!***

"I-I-I should go um, meet Matt…so yeah I should do that."

"Of course dear."

Again she says with a coy smile.

***Maybe being friends with Felicia does have its benefits…not that I would tell her that, I mean seriously I can't tell if she was joking or not when she offered to have a threeway.***

She thinks with a slight blush, sometimes she was both worried and annoyed about what to expect out of her. Felicia was not all bad even though they had some history which was less than friendly, and they did get along well enough. But that suggestion always caused her a great deal of embarrassment.

One last kiss and hug and he was off to meet his colleague.

John for his part left soon after, though not before MJ spoke to him.

"I don't know what it is you are both getting involved in but please look after my husband."

"You have my word, and that is something I never break."

"Thank you." She says as she gives him a bright smile, one he can't help but return albeit smaller and more reserved.

With that said he headed off to prepare to meet a man without fear.

_Meanwhile at Xavier's…_

Miranda had been called by the Headmaster for a meeting; he didn't specify what exactly but felt it was something John needed to know urgently.

At first she asked if it was about Karen but he reassured her that though she was involved she wasn't in any trouble. Having that clarified relieved her somewhat so she decided to go in his stead as he was going to meet Spider-man in regards to the coming operation; besides she was his CO so there was nothing wrong with taking his place.

…and just maybe she would get to see Kurt again, a more mischievous part of her mind whispered.

She fought down a blush but couldn't resist checking herself in a nearby window, which of course is the time when the door opened revealing Ororo.

The weather manipulating woman caught her just as she was done and couldn't up but be amused as she remembered Kurt's cheery attitude the next morning after his date.

_Flashback…_

Ororo was currently having breakfast with Logan and Kitty; it was rare occurrence for them but one she could enjoy since they were all busy doing what they could to help the students. The attack had left marks but they recovered and that was something none of them had plans to forget.

"Good morning." She says pleasantly as she sits down with her plate of fruits and water.

"Morning Ororo." Kitty replies with a smile at her friend as she continued to chow down on the meal.

"Morning 'Ro."

Logan adds as well as he drank his coffee, not quite with the same jovial tone as his teammate but then that is to be expected of the man. It took a lot to get Logan on a good mood so when he did smile that was a good thing, but when he smiled in a different fashion, that usually meant something else and by far less than pleasant.

"How are classes Kitty?"

She asks the computer savvy woman as she was one of their best teachers in the tech department.

"Oh fine, hardly any trouble with the kids, may even found some who could begin the advance courses early."

"And you Logan?"

"Eh, one or two are all right, Ashida seems to get the hang of the basics though Keller and Vacarro are still giving me a headache I feel I should just wail on him a bit to knock him down a peg or get through his rock hard head that it ain't a wrestling match."

The feral grumbles earning a giggle from his first unofficial "sidekick" and an exasperated huff from the second team leader of the group.

Ororo knew how much he struggles with the Hellions as Emma was constantly looking out for them, given what happened to the previous group who held that name it was somewhat understandable still it sometimes caused some friction with the others. Emma's desire to protect the new generation of Hellions was an understandable goal to be sure, but sometimes overprotecting them only caused more problems than solved them.

"And what about Karen? I heard she was in your class too."

"Heh, she's a bit of a scrapper that one and a hard worker, she takes quick to the lessons and works hard to be the best at it, and she's damn honest about her efforts too."

Logan can't help but smirk, he honestly like the girl's go getter attitude since such honest desire to improve was hard to find anywhere.

"Well that's good to hear; John must be proud of her and no doubt encourages her to do her best whenever they are together."

Kitty can't help but comment.

"I figure that's why she tries so hard, wants to show him she can succeed…got to admit the guy may have a screwed up life but that one has taken a shine on him and she is aiming to prove herself."

"Well I don't think she needs to, he may not be like most people given the circumstances surrounding his life but still he has done very well for the child. Compared to most, he may not have the…experience of being with parents, but he does well as one himself."

Storm comments as from what she has seen despite his reserved nature he has proven himself to be a good parent. And while he no doubt had reservations about being a father, there was no doubt he would make a good one. Naturally she privately thanked the fact that none of her telepathic colleagues were around to pick up on the fact she had more…intimate reasons for the comment.

"That he does which makes me wonder how well he would do as a husband."

Katherine can't help but ask as she drinks some juice while giving Ororo a look that has her feeling a bit flushed as Katherine was already in the know on how Ororo had an attraction to them.

Logan just chuckles, Kitty still has a knack for getting under people's skin.

***Hell, she did that with me and then I got Jubilee doing it as well.***

He thinks, though he is quite fond of the two. He later spots Kurt making his way into the cafeteria; from the looks of things the man is very happy this morning. That was usually something that was worth discussing over.

"Hey Elf! Over here." He calls out to his friend thus bringing the women's attention to their teammate.

Normally Kurt would teleport there but chose to walk over still smiling.

"Guten tag my friends, it is a fine morning is it not?" He speaks cheerily, which only served to make everyone pay attention, and they had a good idea on what was the cause of their friend's good mood.

"Well someone is in a good mood." Kitty can't help but comment

"…it wouldn't happen to have anything to do with a date with a certain reality displaced Commander now would it?"

She has to resist laughing as he sees her friend feel a bit embarrassed, looks like she hit the nail on the coffin hard again.

Ororo is in the same boat, oh she was aware that he and the Commander had gone out but from the looks of things he may have enjoyed himself more than she thought.

***Good for him, a man like Kurt is entitled to some happiness in his life.***

"I vould hardly call it a date frau, it vas simply a dinner as thanks for the aid she provided for me during ze…altercation ve had with the Purifiers."

"Oh come now Kurt, from that brilliant smile you have it was more than a simple dinner." Ororo adds with mischievous smile of her.

"Yeah Elf, seems you and her had a time, you do more than kiss?"

Seeing his friend close to doing a spit take was well worth the look he got from him.

"I vas a complete gentleman Logan! Besides it vas not a date and she only kissed my cheek."

He nods only to realize he may have said more than he should as the women were now looking at him as a frog to dissect. And they did not disappoint him in the slightest.

***Oh verdammt***

"Details. Now."

Shadowcat orders with a serious look at her friend, one he finds mirrored on Ororo's much to his surprise. Logan simply looks amused by this all as he smirks.

So he goes on to say what they talked about and what they did after dinner, they three were none too pleased by the news that someone was mocking his looks. They all knew how much he hated to be looked like he was a freak but then the mood lightened when he told them what Miranda did…Logan's laughter was loud enough to draw attention but he couldn't help it.

"Elf, forget dating and marry her already."

Logan spoke between chuckles, which only grew as his friend blushed furiously.

"Logan! I hardly know her besides from vhat ve talked and besides once Dr. Richards secures them a way home they will leave."

"Well then you have to woo her of her feet before then." Kitty had that look that said she was about to do something drastic.

"Vhat?"

"Well I don't know about that Kitty, I mean Kurt does raise a valid point about their possible return."

Storm adds as she could see where he is coming from though she herself was hoping that she would have time to get close to John.

"Please, that doesn't stop Rachel or Betsy from trying to snag the Spartan…and I saw you looking very interested that day he and Logan went at it. Had quite a lot on you mind after that display I take it?"

Her friend said causing Ororo's face to go red once more and thus earning some laughs from the others.

_End flashback…_

It took her a while to calm herself or else she may unknowingly do something with her powers…still she had to admit to herself that she had given the Spartan more than a brief look that day.

***Well it seems Kurt wasn't the only one to enjoy the night of their outing.***

The weather witch thought with equal parts amusement and gladness things went well for her friends.

"Hello Miranda." She greeted warmly.

"Hey Ororo, I got Scott's call and since the Chief is busy at the moment I came in his stead."

Squashing that feeling of disappointment at not seeing the man she and others had a crush on as well as other more…intimate plans, she moved to lead Miranda to Scott's office as to her knowledge she has not been there.

"I hope it is nothing serious."

"Well…that really depends on how you see it."

Miranda couldn't help but voice some worry, super human threats were still unknown territory for her to be honest. And after the stunt with the Hulk, she was not in the mood for a repeat battle in the same situation.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, our friend Redeeming informed us that oversized tub of Lard known as the Kingpin is smuggling something into the country and because of the Chief he is bringing in some _special_ help if you get my meaning."

"Super powered henchmen I assume."

Storm replies with a dry tone, she and the others had heard of the man despite avoiding any dealings with him since he had not yet made a move against mutants or them. That did not mean that they condone or approve of him and his methods one bit.

"Yep, so he went to Spider-man since he is one of the few who have had dealings with the man in the past."

Ororo had to agree it was a smart move, she had few encounters with the man but despite the odd way he chose to taunt his foes she knew he was a good man as she once heard how he defended a mutant child from being taken by Mister Sinister from Gambit and Beast as well as the occasional story from Logan who oddly respected him. Gaining Logan's respect is never easy due to his long life and all he had dealt with, so anyone who can earn his respect was all right in her book.

"A wise decision to seek out allies against an unknown opponent."

"I just hope things don't escalate beyond his control, if there is one thing I know about the Chief is that he hates snags and surprises, the war gave him too many of those for his and his fellow Spartans liking."

"No plan survives first contact with the enemy or so I've heard."

Ororo comments as she could understand the Master Chief's feelings on the matter since her and Scott hated it when the unknown struck at the least opportune moment. They had a long history of the whole mess themselves and had the scars on them to prove it as well.

"So true, I can't tell you how many times I cursed up a storm when it all hit the fan." The Commander grumbled.

Ororo decided to move the conversation to more pleasant topics as they made their way to their destination, chatting her up about her dinner with Kurt, how things were at the agency and if any news had come from their attempts to return home.

Finally they reach the headmasters office, calmly stepping inside Miranda spots several faces besides Scotts. Logan, Danielle and Emma are there, so is Karen and the triplets as well which catches the woman off guard for a moment.

***Hello Miranda.***

She hears the girls say in her mind, to her credit she is only startled a moment before smiling at them, she could swear she felt something warm trickle when she does that but she may have just imagined that.

"Hello girls." Miranda says to them in greeting and they smile in return.

They can't help it though, they like her and Louise, the two while startled at first by their need to sometimes communicate telepathically quickly took it in stride. And there was just this inner strength in them they felt drawn to, it was different from Frost's not as jaded they think.

Emma senses their feelings but she does not voice any concern over it, she respected the woman for what she had endured just as she respected Louise for taking a bullet for her girls...though she wasn't too happy at the way they sometimes looked at the Spartan, a bit amused yes but then again it was one of the follies of youth.

***At least it won't go as far or end as badly as mine did.***

She thinks grimly as she recalled her own crush and how quickly it died when the truth about her mutation came out. That coupled with her brother's death, oh how she missed him at times.

***Note to self, make time to visit his grave in the near future.***

"So what is the situation?" The Commander finally asks as she sits with Karen in her lap.

"It appears some students got a little too curious for their own good the day we had visitors to see John in action."

Scott says to her, he wasn't necessarily angry with the two teams but he wished they would stay out of trouble.

***They are some of our best students but they get into more trouble than I and the other originals ever did.***

He thinks to himself though from the smirk on Emma's face he may have thought that a bit too loudly.

"What exactly did they do and who are we talking about?"

"Well it was the Hellions and the New Mutants squads and somehow they hacked their way into the cameras and saw the match between the Chief and Logan."

Needless to say who the hacker was as the teachers all knew just how good Prodigy was once he mimicked Kitty and Hanks' gifted minds, one of the reasons Dani had his powers limited and showed him the consequences should he abuse his gift. However it seemed that things did not go as planned since it seems that he had got convinced to do something that he was NOT supposed to do.

"Have they figured out who he is or what he is?"

Miranda was all business now; this was the woman who led the charge in the final days of the war coming to the front.

"Them? No, the girls however were somewhat clued in as they and Karen came to me and Karen felt she could trust them with his secret."

"Is that true Karen?"

"Yes, they told me about the tape they found and they promised they wouldn't tell."

The little girl replied as honestly as she could.

"We did indeed do so." The triplets added.

"Ok, I just want you to know this is bigger than you think, who he is and what he is are very well kept secrets here because there might be those who would abuse that information. If Karen says you can be trusted I will believe her and believe that you too, please do not betray that trust we have given you."

The girls look at one another and realized that there was clearly more to Karen's father than meets the eyes, still they were nice to them and they trusted them to do the right thing.

"We shall make sure that your trust is not misplaced."

"I believe you, so…" the Commander now looked towards the adults "…now that we have that nipped in the bud, what exactly is the plan for the kids?"

"Well first off we have to make sure they didn't share the video to anyone and two we talk to them and make them understand they are not to share anything of what they saw with anyone."

"I can make certain they get the message one eye." Logan added as he wore a smirk that promised a very unpleasant time for the students in question. Scott already knew just WHAT Logan had in mind, and while it did work on occasion, he was not sure this would work.

"I don't think blunt force trauma is the answer Logan."

Cyclops replies dryly as he has heard just how tough the man is on the students, especially the Hellions team leader Julian Keller. Keller however did do a lot to get Logan's attention and his arrogant nature was more than enough to get on anyone's nerves. The only reason he could not do that was obviously Emma herself since she was going to take that personally. And if he did go through with letting Logan go at it, the result would be some VERY awkward times both in out of the bedroom, and that did not make things easy.

"That's a matter of perspective."

"Yours and yours alone apparently."

Emma snips, she did not like it when her students were singled out, it wasn't their fault they were at the top of the class as they were simply that good.

"I have an idea." Miranda says in hopes of preventing a shouting match…or worse.

"Oh? Do tell."

Danielle queried.

And she did, and despite some reservations from Emma and Logan's enthusiasm it was a very good plan they all could agree on. The girls just wondered what the reaction to this would be and if they could watch because this looked to be a most interesting turn of events.

_Law offices of Murdock and Nelson…_

Matt was currently going over some cliff notes for an up and coming case involving a murder victim's family hoping to get some justice for the murder of the father and husband. The Defense had come up with some strong alibies but he was positive they missed something as he noticed the accused heartbeat rose whenever the mention of his whereabouts came up in regards to where the victim was found.

"Make sure to secure a warrant to visit the crime scene immediately, accused shows heavy sign of distress at the mention of it. May be due to attempting to hide evidence about the full scope of the crime"

Matt says into a tape recorder he occasionally used to keep track.

He set down his notes and moved to get ready for lunch with Foggy when he felt a thump near his window followed by the sound of a heartbeat he was familiar with.

"_Peter?_"

Calmly he moves towards the window and opens it.

"Hey Matt, how's life treating you?"

Peter asks conversationally despite the fact he was in character and upside down. He originally had some difficulties doing this when he first started out, but apparently his spider side eventually allowed him to adapt to the rather interesting position.

"Well I would say it was going fine before you decided to drop in unannounced. That tells me that this is not your average social call."

The man without fear replies with a smirk.

Peter smiled behind the mask at that as he knew seeing Matt Murdock smirk like this was not something one saw every day.

"Listen something big came up and someone could use our help dealing with it. He'll be coming by pretty soon so we can all talk."

Matt considers that as he can easily tell the man is sincere, he simply nods and walks to his secretary outside.

"Joyce something came up and I won't be able to meet Foggy for lunch, please let him know and hold my calls since I have an urgent visitor coming, in fact take the rest of the day off as I may not in later in the day."

"Of course Mr. Murdock and thank you, I was hoping to deal with some matters anyway."

The woman said with a smile, she wasn't about to say no to taking half the day off.

"No problem and have a good day."

And with that he steps back inside just as Spider-man makes his way inside. Once he made sure the woman was gone he made sure to speak with his colleague.

"What can you tell me about our impending visitor?"

The blind hero asks as he takes a sit and invites his guest to do the same.

"Well first of, and don't panic, he knows who we are."

It was rare for Peter to see someone like Matt gape like a fish but this was one of those times and as much as he didn't want to laugh at the man he just couldn't help it.

"…how?" was all the man could ask in lieu of the news he just received.

"Well it's a long and complicated story involving reality hopping, A.I's in control of a powerful ship and her super soldier protector and his CO. By the way it's the Spartan if you are interested in knowing who is about to pay you a visit."

"The Spartan? You mean the one who fought the Hulk? THAT Spartan?"

Matt cannot help the incredulity lacing his voice at the fact that such a person was coming to see them because he needed help. And he had good reason for the reaction as well since ANYONE who could defeat the Hulk was not the kind who usually asked for help.

***Why would a man who bested the Hulk need OUR help?***

He could not help but think with all honesty.

"Listen I know it may seem odd but he ran into something regarding the human version of Jabba the Hut."

Spider-man could tell the mere mention of the Kingpin set Matt on edge and frown, he knew there was a long and dark history between the two so it was expected.

"What has he done THIS time?" He asks with a clear edge in his tone.

"He's smuggling something into the city, and because of the Spartan he has brought in special help if you get my drift. The Spartan also goes after any criminal large or small after all so ol' Lardy called the special help."

The man known to the criminal element as Daredevil did indeed, and could see how help would be required in this matter, if the Spartan was willing to face even lower ranking criminals even after tangling with enemies like the Hulk, then Kingpin would recruit only the best to make sure he had assets on him, just then someone knocked on the door.

"I think that's him."

"I'll get it." Matt moved calmly while keeping his cane in front of him, he didn't really need it but it gave off the impression he did as well as it gave him a handy makeshift weapon when in a bind and he had his fair share of that already.

Opening the door the sounds of the city gave him the picture of a fairly large man to his unique sonar like senses.

"I assume you're the friend Mr. Parker has been telling me about."

He asks the Chief while discreetly getting ready to defend himself, though the Spartan sees it and commends the man for his precaution.

He knew that despite the lack of sight this man was no pushover as he had read in the information about this world's heroes he was a very competent fighter. Again he was struck by how many of the non-powered heroes would have made fine Spartans if given the chance; they showed much resourcefulness and skill that would be very valued in his group. Though he decided not to mention it since considering the situation he was in, they would not agree with the whole deal, not that he could blame them if they said no and fight if ONI tried to take them.

"Yes, I go by John Mendez-Halsey, we met once during the murder trial of my adopted daughter's Mother."

The Chief replies as he holds out his hand.

"Of course, I thought your voice sounded familiar, though I never would have you to be the man who faced off against…"

"I would prefer we keep this conversation of the streets if you don't mind sir." The Spartan cut in.

"Oh yes of course my apologies, please come inside since Peter is already inside and you can call me Matt."

"And I prefer to go by John or Chief Matt."

Both men came into Matthew's office and sat to talk over what to do about the assault to come.

"So Peter here briefly explained you need help against whatever it is the Kingpin has in store."

"That is correct, despite my time here I have yet to encounter any more of the unusual criminal element and we thought it best to go people with experience."

John was honest when he said that, he did not need any surprises on this mission and since Matt and Peter knew the criminals with powers here, better to defer to them to avoid getting bogged in.

"Hmm, I see well I have no problem in helping and I know some people who would be interested in helping, let me give them a call."

_Residence of Jessica Jones & Luke Cage…_

*RING* *RING* *RING*

"Hold your damn horses!" A light brown haired woman shouted as she made her way towards the phone, though she did as carefully as she held her stomach showing she was pregnant and halfway through the second trimester.

"Yes?"

-Jess? It's Matt Murdock.—

"Matt! How are you? We haven't heard from you in a while." One now happy Jessica Jones, formerly known as Jewel, replied at her friend.

-I'm doing fine Jess, how is the baby?—

"Ugh a handful, half the time I want to strangle Luke for getting me pregnant and the other half wants to strangle him for the hunger binges I go through. I swear I lost count on how many odd combinations I have tried eating already."

She dryly remarks though she only joked as she did take care of herself for her baby's sake.

-Good to know, listen I got something that requires his unique brand of help, is he around?—

"Ooh sorry, he left like 30 minutes ago to meet up with some friends, you could try his cell."

-Can you pass me his number please?—

"Of course."

…

"Will that be all?" She asks politely.

-Yes, thank you for the help, take care of yourself Jess and if you need anything let me know ok?—

Matt offers as he knew the woman had suffered in her brief stint as a hero thanks to the Purple Man. These were among the risks in being a hero, even more so if the hero was female. The risks were always high for all heroes regardless of gender, but women had more risks in a sense due to a number of factors, and he knew more than once a number of villains who had less than stellar ideas towards female heroes.

"I will and take care of yourself too."

With that the call ended, before her child decided to remind her she was eating for two with a small kick.

"Okay, okay I got message shrimp yeesh!."

_In China Town…_

The powerhouse known to many of his friends and foes as Luke Cage was currently watching as his best friend and partner Danny Rand AKA Iron Fist spare with their friend and ally Shang Chi, a world renowned martial artist and hero.

They sometimes visited their friends they had made during their Heroes For Hire stint, and in this case they visited a local dojo/gym where the master combatant taught younger children as a favor to the owner of the dojo who was a friend to him.

Today as luck would have it two other good friends (or girlfriend in the case of Danny) were there, one Colleen Wing and Misty Knight who were also watching the friendly bout.

It was interesting contrast as Danny specialized in using his fists more than kicks, not surprising given his title though that did not mean he did not know how to time his kicks with his punches. Shan Chi was more versatile given his varied list of moves and his experience in fighting unique opponents yet oddly enough both men never seem to achieve victory over the other.

"Yeah, you get him Danny!" Misty cries out to her boyfriend.

"Jeez M, it's just a spar." Her friend spoke in an amused tone.

"Sorry, just seeing my man get all physical really pumps me up."

"Riiight, I bet that's not the only thing it does too." Colleen replies with a sly smile.

"Op up yours!" A very flustered crime fighter huffs much to the amusement of her friends.

It was at that point that Luke's cell rang…

*RING* *RING* *RING*

"This is Cage."

-Luke, its Matt Murdock.—

"Oh hey man, what's up?"

-A mutual crimson clad acquaintance to both us came to me recently with some information you may find interesting.—

"Oh? Do tell." The steel skinned hero requests with intrigue lacing his voice.

-Spider-man came to him with news about a smuggling shipment to arrive by the Kingpin, his source says there may some super powered muscle involved and wants some help. Daredevil has agreed to work with them and I suggested you, interested?—

"Hmm, can't say I'm not…"

By now Luke felt his interests peek, as the self-designated protector of Harlem as well as the surrounding areas he swore to make his neighborhood safer for his child and others, so far he was successful but on occasion he liked to help out in other places either with his friends or alone so this looked to be another case of the latter, seeing the others now looking at him he decided to talk to the man "…you mind if I out you on speaker, I got some friends here who might be able to help out on this little sting you and the old wall crawler has on."

-Go ahead.—

Luke did before looking to the others.

"Yo! Shang, Danny stop wailing on each other get over here! You too ladies, you're going to want to hear this."

The others shared a look before moving in close.

"What's the deal Luke?" The Iron Fist asks his friend.

"Listen up guys, I got Matt Murdock on the line and his got something that's just up our alley, go ahead and tell them Matt."

-As I explained to Mr. Cage, Spider-man was recently informed that the Kingpin is planning to smuggles something illegal into the country, Daredevil has confirmed his help and if Luke believes you could contribute then I believe him though the choice is yours.—

"This is Shang Chi Mr. Murdock; do we know what is being brought in or who is guarding it?"

-Sadly no on both accounts, with what I know and heard of the man it could weapons, drugs, stolen artifacts anything really. As for who is guarding it I have been told it will be regular guards and special enforcers, we can all guess what special means.—

The lawyer/hero spoke gravelly to his captive audience.

"Well boys, I don't know about you but it sounds like it could be something we should look into eh Colleen?" Misty asks her partner.

"I'm game."

"I too wish to aid Spider-man and Daredevil in this, it will be an honor to fight by their sides." Shang Chi added.

"I wouldn't be a good boyfriend if I didn't go and see how my girl kicks ass and takes name now wouldn't I? I'm in." Rand added as he winks at his lover who smirks at him.

***Oh the things I will do to that man when we get home.***

She thought with some lust tinting her thoughts...any others ideas where better left unsaid since it did not take a genius to know the direction where they went.

"Well there you go Matt, where do we meet?"

A moment of silence and some talking was heard over the line before they were given the time and place of the rendezvous point.

-I wish you luck please let me know if you will require my services later on, hopefully with a means to put the man behind bars.—

"Hell, we this group of bad ass SOB's what can possibly go wrong?"

"_Famous last words._"

Danny muttered getting a playful slap from his girlfriend, of course what they didn't know was Peter doing the same, Matt smirked humorlessly and the Chief thinking along the lines of everything and anything that could go wrong, he wasn't a pessimist as more of a realist having the voice of experience tells him as much.

-Then I wish you luck just the same, good bye ladies and gentlemen.—

"Take care Matt."

*CLICK*

_With Matt, Peter and John…_

"Well, there is your team Chief." Peter says to relieve the tension he felt.

"Let us hope that Mr. Cage is correct and nothing goes wrong, still I will try to prepare as best I can for all possible eventualities." The Spartan replies neutrally as he starts thinking up plans.

"Agreed, and if that will be all gentlemen I suggest we each prepare accordingly." Both the Spartan and the arachnid powered hero agreed and rose from their place and bid the man good bye…the players had been chosen and now the game was afoot.

Though unknown to them all important events were taking place, in a reality same yet different from their own…

_Universe 145513264…_

In the vast reaches of space a patrol fleet was doing a routine run in the area that surrounded the space of the Forerunner home world, what was special about this fleet was that it was entirely comprised of Neo-Covenant vessels 5 CAS Carriers and 10 CCS Battlecruiser's. With the discovery of the Forerunner home world and all information and technology within, it was decided by both government's that given the still growing human fleet and the ongoing internal and external struggle of the fledgling empire Neo empire a joint effort would be made to secure the technologies found there.

This would also be the first ever joint military and scientific operation of both empires since the end of the war. Both the Arbiter and Fleet Admiral Hood had high hopes this would be the start of many more such efforts that would help in the healing process that was the fragile peace between both their groups.

It was not easy, too little time had passed and tensions between both groups were still high but still both military leaders strived for peace in a volatile enviroment.

Commanding this small fleet was Fleetmaster Lai'Ro Feldum, of the ship _Hope's Renewal_ one of the many veterans of the war, he stood at 8'2" tall and was dark skinned that contrasted with his lightered toned armor. He had seen much during the war and carried the scars of it as seen by a jagged scar on the right of his face and a missing finger on his left hand he lost during a battle with Jiralhane loyalists.

"_**Status Report.**_" Deep voice that seemed to standard of the male of his species asks his sensor officer, a small Unngoy by the name of Yip Nap.

"All systems report nominal Fleetmaster." It squeaked.

"_**Good alert me of any anomalies you find no matter how small they seem pilot, maintain this course for 30 more minutes than plot a course to sector 2455-5531.**_"

"_**By your will Fleetmaster.**_"

"By your will Fleetmaster."

Both beings replied while the leader sat in his hover chair and went over reports, at that point he was joined by his XO a female Sangueli garbed in armor that marked her as an Ultra by name of Lian Charum, one of the fee females of her species who chose to live her life as a warrior than watch over the family keep like her sister had done.

She had fought hard to earn not only her place among her brothers in arms but also their respect as a fellow warrior and sword master.

"_**How goes things Fleetmaster?**_"

"_**All is calm for the moment Lian, which makes a part of me wishes for some combat yet at the same time…**_"

"…_**makes you glad nothing unruly shall happen so close to the home of the ancient ones.**_" She finishes.

"_**Precisely, hard to believe we are now guarding the planet from where their mighty empire once stood and with our once foes the humans no less.**_"

"_**These are strange times brother.**_" Was the only reply she could give to his comments. Any further comments were halted as the sensor officer spoke up suddenly.

"Fleetmaster! Unidentified rupture opening of the port side, it is not slipspace."

"_**What? Identify what you can immediately.**_"

"It is very small, not a ship…visual coming in now."

The screen showed a small probe, the design was a match to a human probe.

"It is definitely human made Fleetmaster, though I am receiving residual readings that do not match with slipspace travel and also it is transmitting a signal on the human's emergency band."

"_**What type of signal?**_" the ship's XO asks the small alien.

"A seven tone sequence, it repeats on 30 second intervals." He answers her.

"_**Hmm, did not the Fleetmaster Vadum and the Arbiter say we should be on the lookout for such a signal?**_" She asks her commanding officer.

"_**Indeed…**_" He replies before turning to the communications officer "_**…contact the nearest human patrol fleet.**_"

"…"

"_**I have located one close by; the leading vessel is the Wrath of Harvest, a Cruiser Fleetmaster making contact.**_"

-This is Captain Johannesburg speaking.—a man with a robotic eye and partially burnt face on the right speaks, he has a slight German accent to his voice.

"_**This is Fleetmaster Lai'Ro, we have stumbled upon a human probe that arrived by unknown means and emits a seven tone signal we were ordered to keep a lookout for.**_"

The Captain immediately reacts to that news as his eyes widen, clearly showing the importance of the news given.

-What is you location? — The man asks quickly.

"_**Send him the coordinates.**_" The Sanguelli orders his pilot.

"Got'em, stay with the probe, we will meet you there and then we will both head back to the defense fleet. If this is what I think it is then we will need to coordinate a response quickly."

Both CO's look at the screen at each other in confusion before Lian speaks.

"_**What is the significance of this probe that would garner such a reaction Captain?**_"

"You may have just found a very BIG clue to the location of the Forward Unto Dawn and its crew."

That surprised the crew; they all knew who was on that vessel.

"D-D-Demon."

One of the Unggoy whimpered. Even IF the Separatists were allies with the UNSC, the mere mention of the Spartans would always send shivers of fever down the spines of those who had ever faced them or seen them in battle and lived. The Unggoy got the worst of it while the Sangheili would still recall the thrill of facing one in combat and the honor it came to facing a worthy foe in the armored Super soldiers.

Things just took an interesting turn for the UNSC and their allies just as things would for the Master Chief and his allies.

To be continued…

So here we go, the stage has been set and half the player revealed, as you can see I went with a mostly human crew with the exceptions of Luke and Peter. Naturally their opponents will not be easy since they will be hardened killers with some having abilities that make them quite the problem. I figure many of you will ask if this will be the moment when it happens and a villain is KIA…the answer is yes, someone if going down for the last time, for my colleagues who are aware of who I plan to take out I ask for your discretion.

And remember our little game folks, whoever guesses what the Halo verse number means gets to choose the lovely X-Lady to spend time with the MC.

Now let's answer some reviews:

detheroc: Karen's evolution is still up in the air for the moment but I hope to get inspired to do something with her along that route eventually, I am aware of the gene song and I have thought about integrating into my story just haven't figured out how yet.

mkeeg91: Jen right now is just a candidate not the final pairing, and I am glad you support the role Karen is building in the Chiefs life. That thing with Valeria is cannon, it is what caused the team to break up for a while, check it out some time. And as you can see the experiment has completed its first stage, we now just have to wait for the second stage to begin.

Graybook: Thanks for your support, and yes Halsey is being considered among others, I am still debating on giving her a body and what type but I will consider your suggestion.

Freedom Guard: Always a pleasure to hear from you my friend, the date only got that good because of your support and i'll try to work in more normal aspect outside of his heroics from time to time. To better humanize him, and get him some time with the candidates for his sweetheart. Glad you liked that scene I cooked up with Karen and the Cuckoos.

Zazi The Beast: Well I have repeatedly asked for a secondary Beta who specializes in grammar but sadly there are no takers still I will keep the offer open. Tech exchanhges are iffy since Cortana has pirated and perfected his rivals tech so as not to annoy the man... you how Stark gets with his toys.

Jyggilag What happened here is a mix up on my part, when I started this story I planned to have this post Zero tolerance but it got away from me so now we have it where Colossus is alive though I can probably have that before the whole Breakworld debacle yet balance out my mistake by having this before Doom was sent to Hell.

Eventually I will sync it up with Cannon once we reach the point where Disassembled happens. X-23 will appear after the events of NYX occurred, she will meet up with John and he and others will play a important role in her life... I may decide that Karen needs a sister to look after and that Julian gets the chance Marvel denied him.

ShadowCub: Doom will not know what hit him when he tries to make a play.

ONI would like to see that though what I have planned for them will perhaps show them in a better light.

Jen is a candidate right now, she made the first move and now the other ladies need to step up.

Well folks that is all for the reviews. Now comes the part I really don't want to do but I feel it must happen so here is my opinion of the state of Marvel as we currently see it.

I do not favor the new Marvel we are living in where the X-men are broken and at each other's throats, the Avengers are no longer the champions they once were and where a good, compassionate and heroic person like Peter Parker was killed in such a vicious and cruel way. I know change is natural, even in a fictional world, but this...I can't support it, I just can't do that my friends.

Why? Why did this happen? Where did it all go wrong I ask, when was making money more important than good story telling and character development? I won't go into exact details of what was wrong in my view with AvX but that was even worse than what happened in Civil War. And what Marvel did to Peter was deplorable and cruel, he was their flagship character for years and THIS is the treatment the character gets?

No, I refuse to take part in this farce that is Marvel Now! I choose to make a stand and not buy anything from Marvel until I see something be done to rectify this gross misuse of characters who have seen my through some tough times in my youth. I have friends who keep me posted should it occur but right now it is not looking good…Marvel seems to have declared war on the Spiders, Kaine is said to be on the edge of giving up his chances of heroism, Flash is looking to be taken out and Miguel O'Hara seems to be slatted for execution by the body snatching bastard.

Is it any surprise I am angry when I hear these things? I am not asking you to join me, I am not asking you to take the fight to Marvel Execs, I am not asking for anything from you my readers and friends but to understand that I can't do anything for the cannon Universe but maybe I can do something here in fan fiction…I hope to succeed with your support...to all you true believers…to all of you who believe the dream has not ended…I say this…EXCELSIOR NOW AND FOREVER!

PEACE OUT!


	15. Chapter 15

Land of heroes.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Marvel or Halo (God, I wish I did though.) enjoy.

Thanks to Freedom Guard and Andrithir for helping me out, you need anything you give me a holler.

Took a while but here we are once again, third time I create something of this size and the third time I faced such a struggle (first two were the DC chapters with Lanterns and Amazons) but I hope you all enjoy it. Won't lie and say I am sure I pulled this off even with my Beta reader's help but I leave such judgments to you my readers, just be kind and respectful with your reviews and I shall reciprocate my replies in the same manner.

Also we have a winner on who the character was, the answer is Mendez; CPO Mendez has never appeared in the games but played a pivotal role in the formation of the Spartans. So congratulations go to WOLF who guessed right, and since he made his choice known I will work on something for her to appear with Storm, any suggestions are appreciated and will be considered.

Now here we see the enforcers who were brought in to deal with the Chief and his impromptu team, I think it will be pretty obvious who is about to bite the literal bullet given what the character has done for the past months and why I felt he needed to get KIA fast.

So with that said, let's get this show on the road.

"Speaking"

"_Whispering – Cortana speaking in the armor_"

"_Redeeming Bias speaking_"

***Thoughts***

*Sound effect*

-Media or transmission—

Chapter 11 part 2:

_Earth – 616, on route the meeting spot…_

It was late at night and Spider-Man was currently swinging to the meeting area, he hoped to get early to go over any new details the Master Chief may have discovered.

He was a mixture of emotions right now as his ever present worry that he may be getting in over his head, his sense of responsibility and duty reminding him why he must do this and relief that for once he will not be alone this time. Usually he always fought alone against his foes and even if he got help from the other heroes every now and then, that was usually sporadic.

***Which is such a relief, I mean how many times does a guy have to face off against six of his arch foes until someone gets it in their heads that he needs back up?***

He thinks sarcastically as he goes over all his many confrontations with the Sinister Six. Many of which were ALWAYS close calls and him nursing enough bruises to make him look like one of those Picasso paintings or worse a car crash gone horribly wrong.

"I got to get me an edge one of these days." He mutters, however his musings were cut short as he spots a familiar figure running along the rooftops.

***Cat?***

With a grace and agility any athlete worth his salt would envy he swings and lands on the adjacent wall as she came around the corner. Meeting Felicia again was always something that he both dreaded and liked in equal measure.

Dreaded in the sense that she would ALWAYS flirt with him, never minding the fact he was married and she and MJ were somewhat friends though they were not always on the same page…especially when it came to him.

Liked in the sense that at least these meetings did not end badly like they were when they first met, and let's face it, he was a guy and being accosted by the Black Cat was usually an eye opener.

"Spider! Fancy meeting you here."

Felicia Hardy, or as she was known while in costume as Black Cat, says happily at seeing her former beau.

"Well you know me, going out for a swing, catch bad guys…" Peter replies in a light tone as he jumps done and stand before her "…so where's the party Kitten." He motions towards a pack she was carrying.

"Oh this? Well you do remember I moonlight as a PI right?"

"Yeah? Cat's Eye Investigations right?"

"Who's a smart spider?"

She said coyly, earning an eye roll from him that made her smirk; she missed the banter and rapport they had back when they were an item.

"…anyway, nice lady comes to my offices and asks if she can hire me to retrieve some family pearls her bastard ex took."

"She legit?" Spider can't help but ask, one could never tell these days who was clean and legal and who wasn't…unless they had two powerful A.I's of course. He places that aside though since he had to focus on meeting up with John and the others.

"Yep, I make sure to check since you never know when a case can come back and bite you on the ass. So everything panned out, I use my keen cunning and brilliant strategy and made off with the loot."

She says proudly while not so subtly thrusting out her chest to him, again getting a reaction of him.

***He is so fun to tease.*** Felicia says to herself as he sees him shift and try NOT to look at her to hard.

"Right," Parker replied, trying not to stare.

It wasn't any easy thing to do. Felicia was drop dead gorgeous; her elegant shapeliness coupled with her costume could render _anyone's_ mind into a gooey mess.

"…well, it was nice talking to you Cat but I got split, got a play date with some colleagues."

"Ooh can I come with? This sounds like fun besides this has been my only case in months since business has been a bit slow since that brother/sister duo came onto the scene."

She says with a bit of a huff as she crosses her arms under her breasts and blows a strand of hair away. As much as she admired the brother and sister duo, they did their work way too well for her to get clients.

"Oh really?" Peter asks in turn as he tries to hide his amusement.

If only she knew, he chuckled to himself lightly.

"It's not funny Peter, it may not seem like it but I like helping people out. Sure it doesn't give the same high I got when I was more of a bad girl or when you and I went out to kick ass but it just feels right you know?"

"Hey I was just messing with you Felicia, you know I am proud of how far you've come and I know despite what happened between us you are still one of the few people I trust with my life."

He says to her warmly while placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, it was both sobering yet saddening at the same time for her. It was moments like this she cursed her foolishness for spurning him when he showed her his identity, he gave his trust and love to her and she acted like an idiot.

"Well you are too cute to let anything bad happen to you…" she replies back to her usual sassy tone

"…but back on topic, can I come with? Please?"

She says as she bats her eyelids at him while speaking in a sugary sweet tone. The very second she did that; Peter just KNEW that sooner or later he was going to cave in but that did not mean he was going to let that happen without a fight.

"Gah! My sugar intake just skyrocketed."

"Pweaaaaasse." She pushes with pout.

"Fine! Just stop with the puppy eyes and the pouting and whatnot." He says in a pseudo distressed tone.

"Yes! No man can resist my charms once the puppy dog pout is out."

"Smartass…" he quips before sobering up "…well let's get your package wrapped up and head out, we have a play date to keep."

After hiding the prize of her good deed the two were soon off towards the meeting spot swinging freely through the manmade jungle of metal, stone and glass.

_At the meeting spot…_

The Spartan arrived earlier, keeping his stealth cloak active while he made a sweep of the pier. There were only street thugs guarding the perimeter. None of them had radio or moved in patrols. They were disorganized, laughing loudly and drinking on the job. They were easy pickings.

Whoever hired them should've spent the extra money on purchasing a contract from a PMC or a security firm.

These men were nothing in comparison to the Innies he fought, and they were the ones who had been trained by UNSC traitors. How the Kingpin managed to gain a monopoly on crime, was a wonder in itself.

He thinks as for someone who liked to cover his bases Fisk hired very shoddy help, though who the enforcers were was still up in the air and if there was one thing John knew for a certainty was having shoddy help would always be bad.

The Innies were not that much of a threat back in the initial phase of the Insurrection, but when they got better with military defectors such as Robert Watts or Howard Graves it changed for the worst.

He took a moment to take stock of his load out which consisted of two silenced M6 SOCOM with TTR, one M90 and one BR55HR both with live ammunition, his combat knives as well as an assortment of flash bang, sonic and fragmentation grenades.

The mixture of fatal and non-fatal weaponry was part of the agreement he had made regarding his stance with the heroes here who were sensitive to the use of lethal force, and last he wanted was to be at the top of their wanted list. It was better to compromise.

He was professional enough to work with anyone after all if they have the same mission; why else would he willingly work with ODSTs who hated Spartan II's like him or with the Arbiter and his fellow Sanghelli who called him and his fellow Spartans Demons and always wanted to take their heads?

Aside from that he brought some additional equipment that may help his companions.

"Cortana, I need a sitrep on the Enforces," John said into his microphone.

"_Nothing, Chief. No sign of them,_" the AI replied. "_But the ship is close to the docks. Give it a few, and I think they'll show up. And speaking of arrivals…_"

She speaks as his sensors detect new contacts.

The first to arrive is the crimson clad Daredevil, his multipurpose billy club safely seconded in a thigh holster on his right. Tthe files Cortana had taken from the SHIELD database said he more than likely knew they were here already given this radar like ability, he was right as the man stared directly at him.

"Daredevil, I take it," John said, initiating the greetings.

"And you're the Spartan," the man said without a hint of feeling intimidated.

But then again, this was a man who had managed to fight the Hulk and lived. John wondered if Matt was gauging him. He'd be surprised if the blind man didn't. But the Spartan remained confident in his amour's ability to keep him concealed.

"Just one question. Why go after the street rats? You've got the resources to be up there with the Avengers and the Four."

That was a good question. Why not go after the bigger fish and let the police or another vigilante handle this?

"The shipment is a threat regardless. I help where I can," John answered.

"Alright then," Daredevil shrugged.

Mathew could practically feel the resolve in the man to see this through despite not speaking in a way that could give his intentions away. Not for the first time he wondered where and how Spider-Man had met this strange ally of his, though those questions would have to wait as he heard his other companions arrive.

"Hurry Luke we're almost there." He heard Danny Rand chides his best friend knowing he will get a rise out of him.

"Listen up you ass, I ain't no kung fu master or some crazy shit like you four, it ain't my fault I can't go all parkour ok?!"

Luke rebukes as he climbs the ladder attached to the building.

"I could teach some maneuvers to better aid you if like Mr. Cage." Shang Chi politely offers his ally.

"Nah, I'm cool Chi but thanks for the offer. See Danny, that's how polite company is supposed to act with their fri…. I saw that Rand, don't you flip me off!"

"I so did not flip you off Luke, I had something in my mask, honest!" Danny's humor filled tone said otherwise obviously.

"Boys, boys, if you don't behave me and Colleen will go medieval on your punk asses." Danny's girlfriend Misty adds to the conversation.

The Chief just gave Daredevil a look through his visor that clearly asks if this is normal behavior for the allies he brought along, Matt just shrugs while Cortana quietly chuckles from the confines of the Chief's armor. The big lug REALLY needed to get out more so he would not act utterly clueless to street lingo; he was trained to read ALL manner of languages and code phrases, but regular talk…not so much.

Finally the five arrive on the roof and stop to stare at the strange sight of the 7 foot tall armored behemoth standing next to the blind guardian of Hell's Kitchen…it also didn't hurt he had an odd assortment of weapons on him that made look more intimidating.

They were naturally all thinking about the man.

***Damn he's bigger in person!*** Misty and her partner couldn't help but think, they unconsciously shifted their weights to better grab their swords on their backs or in Colleen's case the knives strapped to her thighs.

***What is the guy who beat the freaking Hulk doing here?!*** Danny.

***Sweet Christmas! I've met with Iron Man and he didn't look half as mean as this guy***

Luke thinks as he takes in the sight.

Shang Chi's thoughts were more on studying the man's posture and over all demeanor, it all screamed warrior to him. To those not trained as thoroughly like him and Danny they would him just see him standing there, but he knew better, this man was ready to act at a moment's notice.

***His hands may seem like they are at rest but they always stay near his sidearms, his footwork shows tension as if preparing to dodge and I can practically feel him looking at us, studying our moves and actions…truly this man is a warrior who has seen much combat to have such ingrained reactions.***

The Asian martial arts master thinks before stepping forward for the group and bowing with a fist in his open palm in greeting to the men.

"Greetings to you warrior, I am Shang Chi."

The Chief for his part looks at the man for a moment before mirroring his actions and bows in turn.

"Greetings to you Shang Chi, I am Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117, but you may all call me Chief for short." Both men stand once more.

"Hey, Luke Cage at your service."

Luke pipes in as he steps forward and offers his hand in greeting.

"Hello Mr. Cage, thank you for your help." Chief replies as he shakes the man's hand.

"No big, always up to bust some skulls who think they can spread their poison onto the streets or put more guns out there where they shouldn't."

The man replies with a smirk as he does take some joy in showing criminals their place as he was in no mood to let crap like that muscle their way into people's lives.

"Amen to that brother…" the former police officer replies as she and her friend step up next

"…names Misty Knight and this is Colleen Wing, my partner and best friend."

She says while Colleen nods in greeting.

"Pleasure, I have read up on you both and I am impressed by you skills, I assume the arm you have covered up is the prosthetic?"

"Yeah, comes in handy in pinch when they think I got two normal ones and not one that crack their heads in with a flick of my metal finger or blast them with a laser."

She replies as she looks at the appendage. John could tell that despite the advantages the arm gave her, she wished she had her real arm. That did bring up something to mind his book.

"Perhaps now is not the time, but we do have the resources that can give you back your real arm."

Everyone stops and stares at the super soldier for a moment as they process that comment.

"Really?" The black skinned woman asks in a tone that is not quite hopeful or disbelieving.

"We would need to take to our medical facilities to be sure but it is possible, it is decision for later but I feel that since you are risking your life something must be offered in turn for your aid."

John speaks truthfully since they were still technically civilians undertaking a dangerous operation. They were not mercenaries so they still were civilians in his book and risking their lives was NOT an option, even though he had been forced at times to avoid helping them, something he and no doubt others in the UNSC disliked immensely.

"…that goes for all of you since you are undertaking a dangerous mission under my watch."

"_And people say you're frigid._" Cortana quips, getting a look from Daredevil, but he says nothing for the moment.

"Thanks, but I will need to think about it if that's ok with you Chief."

The woman replies while Danny gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before looking at the Spartan.

"My name is Daniel Rand, but I also go by Iron Fist to my allies and enemies." He demonstrates why he is called that as he summons his chi to make his fist glow in golden light.

"Impressive, in my world martial artists have been rumored to harness their internal energies but up until coming to this world I would have thought it a myth."

The Spartan spoke in a neutral tone, though he was fascinated by what he was seeing.

***I wonder if he can teach others to do that?***

It wasn't the first time he and the others began to wonder just how much of this world could benefit theirs. Oh they didn't plan to antagonize any one or steal technology from their allies, but they couldn't help but wonder how an army composed of men and women with powers, abilities and technology such as the one on this Earth would have fared against the Covenant and Flood. That would have shifted the odds pretty darn quick in his mind.

Though given what happened to him and the others in the Spartan II Program, he was not going to say things out loud.

"Are you an alien?" The champion of Kun'Lun asks curiously.

"No, I am human soldier from another dimension."

That answered some of their questions on who he was, at least partially.

"So I take it you're the guy who called this little gathering huh?" Luke comments.

"Yes, one of my associates informed me of it and I felt it necessary to contact people with experience hence why I spoke with Spider-Man. In fact here he comes now and I believe he has company."

The armored soldier replies as he spots Spider-Man coming in fast followed by a woman dressed in black with a wild mane of platinum blonde hair. And as he zooms in, he could not help but be a bit surprised at the choice of getup as well as the looks.

***Hmm, according to the files I have on Peter's known associates that would be the infamous Black Cat, or rather Felicia Hardy. A thief with a conscience or one she developed after her stint as his partner/lover in crime fighting for a time. She's not to be underestimated either as she is known to be a skilled combatant, skilled enough to actually survive an encounter with the being known as Venom.***

Cortana on the other hand…

"_You know Chief; there are times I wonder how some of these superhero types get away with what they wear in public, the women especially. I mean it's like she doesn't even care she is showing off her goods for every pervert to see, excellent distraction to be sure, but is also enough to give perverted men a LOT of ideas if they managed to catch her, I mean black leather? Really?_"

His old friend couldn't help but comment as the duo approached and he got a good look at the woman, if he were any other man who did not have an altered libido he would have definitely had a reaction to her beauty…but given who and what he was that didn't happen. At least not yet since any woman trying to get him to react would have to REALLY work for it.

"Good to see you Spider-Man, I see you brought a friend, good evening Ms. Hardy.".

Felicia wasn't surprised by the man knowing who she was given what Peter had told her, though she was intrigued by the armored man before her. Naturally she watched the news that spoke how the man in question fought alongside the Avengers, Fantastic Four and Peter against a crazed Hulk. She of course had made sure Peter was ok since despite the circumstances behind their break up she still cared and got the story of how the man beat the Hulk while receiving a beating for it.

Any man who could take on the Hulk, and there were not THAT many, certainly deserved respect, and from what she had learned the man before her got a lot of it.

"So you're the Spartan hmm?"

She began to circle him as she took him from top to bottom wondering what he looked like underneath. She never did get the details from Peter or anyone at the time but if the gravelly and stoic but undeniably male tone was any indication, he was a full blown guy. And if he could wear armor like that, he must be really well built to be able to wear it the way he did…at least that was her reasoning given she did not know about the female members of his team.

"…well, I just love the suit, so you got a name tall, green and handsome?"

She asks with a flirtatious smile as she tries to lay a hand on his chest, only to be stopped by his shield.

***Well that's interesting.***

John for his part simply raised an eyebrow at the blatant flirting and ignored it for now, though he was somewhat annoyed by Cortana's chuckles. He had no doubt that his longtime partner was going to have a field day comparing notes on how he reacted when Jen kissed him and took him out on a date. It was not that he disliked Black Cat's actions in any negative fashion, but more along the lines of how to respond to it for now since dealing with an open flirt like Felecia was not really something he was used to yet.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan-117 ma'am."

He says with no change in his tone or that he is affected by her actions or words...something Felicia has rarely encounters if she was honest since any man she met and did that too reacted very quickly.

Not that it was a turn off to the woman since she liked the challenge of making things different. She would have a lot of fun making him speak her name in a more active tone.

"Please call me Black Cat or just Cat while in _uniform_ handsome." She practically purrs with a smirk, behind her Peter simply raises his hands and eyes silently saying "Here we go again."

He KNEW she was an undeniable flirt, but that did not mean he was immune to feeling exasperated and amused by the whole thing.

Luke leans in next to Danny.

"_Is she for real?_"

"I guess."

"As you wish Black Cat." John replies once more neutrally.

***He seems a bit of a stiff…which just means I must get a reaction out of him! There's no way I'm not going to give this up just yet.***

Felicia thinks mischievously as she smirks at what she perceives to be an open challenge to get under the man's skin. Not to mention seeing what he looked like underneath the armor. Sure she would not go too far since she had enough experiences to tell her when enough was enough, but that did not happen often at least.

If John were any other man he would be feeling a shiver up his spine if he knew just where Felicia's thoughts were going. But being the professional that he was, he place that aside for now.

"So now that we are introduced what is the plan?" Matt asks openly.

"First we must wait a moment for the shipment to arrive and who the mystery enforcers are, it would be foolish to attack without knowing what we are facing." John responds as he turns back to face the warehouse.

"How will you know it or them have arrived Spartan?" Shang asks as he joins the man in keeping an eye on the warehouse.

"I have some friends with access to a satellite currently holding its position over this area and feeding me real time data, we'll know the exact moment they arrive."

"Now see why can't we have that kind of shit?" Luke asks Danny with a very impressed tone.

"I'm not made of money you know?" Danny replies as he rolls his eye at the man.

"I'm just saying, we could use stuff like that when we were out doing our thing, would have made a lot of the shit we went through easier."

The man pointed out to his friend who reluctantly had to agree.

"Why don't we just storm the place now?"

Felicia felt she had to ask as she was more into taking action than staying still. She DID scope out a place she was about to rob back in the old days, but the thrill of winning despite all odds was more her thing.

"Too many unknowns not enough facts, there is too much risk of losing any and all evidence we can find for the police, and while I realize that it is perhaps a slim chance that Fisk will be tried but disrupting his operations will have to be a good enough."

He replies while keeping his eyes on the prize.

***Or until we can figure out a way to either shut him down or eliminate him.***

The Spartan thinks to himself.

"I'm more of a winner take all kind of girl Spartan."

She practically purrs as she slides up next to him, though clearly she does not get a reaction out of him just yet. As far as she could see of course since John was decked head to toe in armor and only fellow Spartans, Johnson, Mendez and Halsey could read his thoughts and words when he was in armor. Anyone outside of the little circle of the 'Spartan Family' who tried to get a reaction from him would have better luck trying to make Logan put on a dress and make him quit drinking and smoking..

Cortana watches all this and tries not to laugh at the woman's attempts at flirting with her protector and friend. She did admit to herself she liked this woman's attempts to get to know John and get a rise out of him. There was no doubt that as soon as word of this got to the ears of the OTHER ladies wanting to get to know John, the proverbial fur was going to fly.

***He barely reacted when Jennifer kissed him goodnight on the cheek or when she kissed him on board the Dawn, I don't think a direct approach will work. Got to give Felicia some hard points for trying though, and knowing what we know of her…she is REALLY going to pour on the charm.***

She thinks privately to herself, oh how she enjoyed ribbing him when she finally got to confess what happen at the end of the date.

"A great man once told me that winning isn't everything in life."

John replies feeling a pang of sadness for Jacob Keyes and the fate that befell him. He may not be religious but he hoped the Gravemind and Flood were burning in Hell for all the death and misery they caused.

"That never really worked for me handsome, in this line of work I have to go for the gold or go home…"

She sent a discreet look to Peter who was chatting with Luke and Matt

"…and it can be very lonely there."

John chose not comment on that, clearly the woman still had feelings for the spider powered hero. Not that he could relate with her as unlike Peter, he had never been in love, married or had a girlfriend and unlike Felicia, he had never broken up with anyone who he had been in a relationship with.

Thus he knew that saying anything was not ideal in a situation like this one...though he did, rarely mind you, wondered what could have happened if he had not been inducted into the program and stayed with Parisa. His long time friend prior to the Program was the one he promised to marry and protect the day he rescued her from drowning on Lake Gustav back on Eridanus. He recalled seeing her again now as a Marine Lieutenant and seeing the picture, it took a lot for him not to tell her that he was alive to avoid breaching security and lowering morale.

"_Heads up Chief, the boat has docked and we have some movement from the east._"

John pulled off his BR gaining everyone's attention as he used his rifle's scope to get a better look.

"It's the ship all right; there are some armed men aboard with some AK-47 and M-16 Assaults rifles, Mossberg Shotgun's and MP5 and Uzi's. I also see a black semi with a trailer pulling in; it could be our enforcers ride." And it indeed it was as several men came out.

The first one out was by far Fisk most favored, Bullseye, a man with a lot of bad history with Daredevil.

Next was a large man both he and Peter recognized, Rhino showing he was free and healed from his last encounter with the heroes and the Spartan. There was no doubt that Rhino would be gunning for him in particular soon enough, and that meant that he would have to extra careful with the man.

A gray skin bleached haired man came next, Tombstone Cortana called him with high endurance and superhuman strength and a bad attitude with a grudge against Spider-man. Kingpin went out of the proverbial limb to call in this man since records show he worked for the highest bidder and that include enemies of Fisk.

Another of the wall crawler's enemies came in the form of one Doctor Octopus; the man was dangerous as he was psychotic as well as intelligent.

Next was a well-known mercenary wearing a hooded cape and skull mask, a sword, shield as well as various firearms on his body…this was Taskmaster.

The next man to appear is only wearing some pants and black shades, while also having two swords on his person, his body is covered in intricate tattoos…or so the Chief thought until much to his surprise and Cortana's disgust they realize they are scars. This was the well-known murderer, assassin and mercenary Mr. X.

Taskmaster and Mr.X shared a look before looking away; clearly there is bad blood between them. If it had not been Fisk who called them over, they would have killed one another on sight.

Coming down next was a man in red and black with swords on his back and an assortment of firearms and grenades on his person he would look like a threat if he wasn't eating a burrito in a messy way…here was the infamous Merc with a Mouth Deadpool.

[Yes! I've finally made my debut! Oh I am going to have so much fun messing with THE Master Chief…he's likes the Chuck fucking Norris of gaming!]

[Deadpool! Stop breaking the fucking flow of the fucking story you fucking fucktard! And you aren't fighting the Chief, I have your opponents selected already and no you cannot engage the Chief.]

[You are such and asshole Har!]

[Don't test my patience punk! Sorry about the interruption folks, I had to keep him in line.]

[…_pussy._]

[…oh you will pay for that one pool, you will be PAY!.]

The Chief steps back and moves to the case he brought with the extra equipment, the others following with curiosity. He soon opens it and they can't help but gawk at the contents.

They see several handguns; grenades and small canisters of unknown design, some ear buds and a flat screen that looks like it could go with a laptop. The Chief grabs the TACPAD and Cortana downloads the information they have on the area and the combatants.

"Okay, why are there guns and bombs in the box? I mean you have enough stuff on you as it is." Luke can't help but comment.

"They are stun and sonic grenades, C7 explosive gel canisters as well M6 SOCOM's with tranq rounds so to speak, what I have in my hand is called a TACPAD so we can plan the assault."

That makes them push back any question as the gather around the soldier.

"We have multiple armed sentries around the perimeter; thankfully only one of each group has a radio on a dedicated frequency which I can take over once I get my hands on one. We will need to take out the sentries on the South, East and West areas first then we can attack in a pincer move from the sides." He pauses to let the first part of the plan sink in.

"Question, why not attack from the main entrance and how do we get in from the sides." Danny asks.

"A frontal assault is too dangerous, we don't know how many there are on the ship and that would mean would be caught between two forces. As for how we attack from the sides and back we use the C7 to make an entry which I will show you how to use."

"That works; I assume you want us to use those guns to knock out the grunts?" Misty says more than asks.

"Yes, how many of you have firearms training?"

Colleen and Misty knew thanks to both their training and Misty's insistence that Colleen have training in their use, Luke knew because of his former time as a gang member and surprisingly Felicia also raised her hand.

"What the? You know how to use a gun?" Peter can't help but ask his Ex.

"Yep, trust me it is a long story." She gave a smirk that looked a bit forced and there was something in her voice Peter couldn't quite place…

***She sounded sad or was I just imagining it? Maybe I should talk to her once we get this done, she is still a close friend after all.***

The Chief proceeded to hand out the weapons to each person with a thigh holster and two clips. He showed them how to put and remove the safety, how to reload and how to handle the weapons which thankfully they took on quickly. He then handed each person except Luke two grenades after explaining some important safety tips.

"Uh, don't I get some grenades?" The man asks as he really wanted to use some of the stuff he saw the Spartan carrying.

"You will but first let finish distributing the equipment then I can explain Mr. Cage." John replies getting a nod from the man. The Spartan than explains how to use the C7 to the group before handing a canister to Misty, Danny and keeping one himself.

"Here are some transceiver radios, they are encrypted to a single channel and you need only tap them once to broadcast and twice to cut off the line. I made sure that Daredevil's doesn't impede him do to his enhanced hearing." He says to the man without fear and getting a nod in return, he was worried it may hinder him given how difficult it was for him to concentrate with loud noises interfering with his senses.

Once all the equipment and instructions were given it was time to plan out the attack, using the TACPAD he began to outline the assault using the satellite imagery to guide the group.

"We need to strike fast in order to reduce their numbers, we will split into teams of three. Miss Knight, Miss Wing and Miss Har…"

*AHEM!*

Said woman interrupted with a coy look at him, while Peter looked to the heavens silently asking…

"Why did I bring her again? Oh right…the Sad Puppy Dog eyes worked its magic on me again. God I hope that I am not going to regret this."

"…Black Cat…"

Chief reiterated while ignoring Cortana's chuckles or the please sound coming from the former thief "…will strike the east side."

All three agreed.

"Mr. Cage, Mr. Rand and Shang Chi will strike the south end." Again there were no objections.

"Finally I, Spider-Man and Daredevil will strike the west, wait for my signal so we strike and make sure none of the sentries are conscious. It is imperative we maintain the element of surprise for as long as possible."

"Right Chief, what about the special goon squad Fisk graced us with?" Peter asks to move on to the next problem, the Chief changed the image to the first of the would be executioners.

"There seven enforcers total, all high profile and dangerous, I propose the following o ensure we succeed with minimal damage and hopefully zero fatalities on our part." John spoke firmly as he did when he commanded soldiers during the war, the heroes stood attentive to his words.

"Mr. Cage you are the only here who can go toe to toe with the Rhino in a straight up fight, now to give you an added edge I am giving you two FRAG grenades. Intel shows he can take the blasts but leave him stunned with plenty of time for you to make your move, just pull the pins and throw, wait three seconds and take him down." John handed the man the grenades who nodded in agreement.

"Daredevil, I want you to go after Mr. X, information on him shows that he is a low level telepath with a high degree of martial arts training who uses his telepathy to predict his opponent's moves. However several files we have downloaded on the man's flaws show your unique abilities will prevent that since he is not trained to withstand the sensory overload you would cause him."

"I understand." The guardian of Hell's Kitchen replied calmly.

"Shang Chi, I know you have faced Taskmaster before so you know what to expect just as he will you however take these…" the armored man gave the martial arts master his combat knives, the Asian master felt them up to get a feel for them and was satisfied they would not hinder him "…I know he has more reach and defensive capabilities thanks to his sword and shield but you are more maneuverable and have experience on your side."

"I shall not break the confidence you have in me Spartan." The man humbly replied.

"Miss Knight, Miss Wing you will face this Deadpool character."

[What?! How come I get to fight the two chicks? Sure I may get a grope in but I wanted to show my awesomeness!]

[Deadpool shut the fuck up! You are fighting them and that is final, be thankful I am allowing you to use that move from the movie. Once again I apologize for the interruption folks.]

[…_suck up._]

[Oh I am going to punish you so much when this is over Deadpool.]

"Hmm, this will be interesting." The black woman quipped as she heard stories on the man.

"Yeah it will." Her sister in arms adds.

***Bat shit crazy but dangerous as Hell.*** the blonde thinks from what she has heard.

"Spider, Cat you will tackle Octavious since you have fought him before."

"Roger Chief."

"Hmm, I hope he puts up a better fight than last time." The leather clad woman says in confidence they will succeed.

"Iron Fist, Bullseye is yours if you think you can handle him."

"I can get close to him Master Chief, I know he is no slouch in hand to hand but I can take him."

"Good, we have to be sure that they are out of commission before I send out a call to SHIELD and the Police, it is the only way to ensure their safety for their retrieval short of killing them." The Spartan speaks with deadly seriousness that take's some of the people there off guard with how easily he speaks about killing.

"Um…Chief?"

Peter speaks up to ask the question he feels he should ask before it get too hectic. He KNEW John enough already to know that this had to be asked anyway.

"…you aren't planning on killing anyone right? Because I don't think the guys and gals here will understand since they don't know your history like me and the others and even then I'm having a tough time accepting just how far you will push it."

"Spider-man, I must be prepared for all possible outcomes to ensure the survival of you and our allies, which includes the termination of enemy combatants if it reaches critical point."

"Whoa! Wait a minute here…" Luke suddenly exclaims as he holds out his hands

"…are you going to go Castle on us?"

John did not need to know who the man was, he read the man's file and while he was in agreement with some of the Frank's actions against violent criminals, he did not approve of the nihilistic way the former soldier did things.

"Frank Castle is a broken man with a death wish who will take as many of his enemies as he can with him. Although I am in some ways broken like him I do not have a desire to die just yet but will do so for any one of you or those I consider worth the sacrifice because of several reasons."

John replies calmly, earning some surprised looks from the group.

"Such as?"

Colleen felt the need to ask as she could not possibly see how a man would so causally speak about dying for a stranger as what she was seeing here. Sure they accepted that they were willing to die for their friends and families as well as for someone they deemed worth it but there was some trepidation in the act, she often felt a shiver of fear when she placed herself in harm's way for Misty or Danny.

But the armored giant before her gave off no such feeling, he was perfectly at ease with the idea of giving his life others and that both gave her awe and worry. That kind of behavior while impressive was just as disturbing to a certain degree.

***What does a person have to go through that they would talk so easily about such a thing?***

She can't help but ask herself.

"Spider-man and Mr. Cage both have someone waiting for them, while I gave my word to Spider-man's wife to make sure he comes back to her I would be remise in not ensuring the same for the loved one of Mr. Cage."

"Mr. Rand and Ms. Knight are clearly together…"

The Spartan spoke of it causally while the two did not deny it, why would they anyway?

"…it is best they do not lose one another since not only will it affect their performance and make one another take drastic actions that will lead to their death I will have failed to protect them and I dislike the idea of being unable to keep either safe."

"Black Cat was not originally part of the plan but her willingness to aid in this endeavor shows she deserves no less than the others for aiding us. Shang Chi, Ms. Wing and Daredevil are also my responsibility; I came to you for help and must now bear the responsibility that anything should happen to you is on me."

"I know my willingness to kill disturbs you as you are not soldiers but protectors who try to set an example, our methods differ but our goal is the same I assure you. And should a life be taken I will ensure that I alone pay for it to any and all authorities who demand my arrest, but you will be safe and you get to be with your loved ones that is all I care about in the end."

The heroes really couldn't find anything to say after that, what do you say to a man who is willing to go that far for their protection?

*SIGH*

"Listen man, I get what you're saying and we appreciate it but let's try to keep this from going that far ok?"

Luke requests as he can tell the guy despite looking very, very intimidating was clearly looking out for them. That did not happen often in his book

"As I stated before Mr. Cage, so long as the situation does not reach that point I shall refrain from taking that measure…" he paused before adding "…though I will inflict considerable damage to compensate."

*SNORT*

"Like we aren't?" Misty added with a smirk.

Luke nodded to the man who did the same in return.

"Then let's bust these punk ass bitches skulls in." Luke ads as he smacks his fist into his palm to psych himself up before he moves.

"Took the words right out of my mouth Luke." Danny smirks as he and Shang Chi follow their friend.

"Ladies, let's show the boys how kicking ass is really done." Misty says as she heads to their area followed by her best friend and Black Cat, though not before the latter turns around to blow a kiss at the Spartan. She might be flirting but hearing the sincerity in the way he said he would risk his life for the group including her own was pretty impressive in her book. She might really get to like this guy and that made getting a rise out of him all the more pleasing to her mind.

"See you soon handsome."

"There she goes again, reminds me WHY I could never say no to her until I got married."

Peter couldn't help but utter in exasperation. As for a certain A.I partner…she was enjoying herself WAY too much. Looks like some ladies were about to get some competition and said competition certainly had the goods in the looks and attitude department.

"_My, my, aren't we popular hmm?_"

Cortana humorously added much to her friend's chagrin who chose not to add more fuel to the fire by reacting. He had enough of that for the time being as he needed to focus on the task at hand. Dealing with his situation with Jennifer Walters and the others was still new, and now being the target of blatant flirting by Felicia Hardy really made him shake his head.

He instead turned towards his companion and nodded to each before all three moved into position…the game was afoot.

_Team 1: Spartan, Daredevil & Spider-Man…_

Their side of the warehouse contained 8 armed men with one holding a walkie talkie to give status reports.

"Is everyone in position?"

-Team 3 is ready. — Misty responded.

-Team 2 is here. — Luke replied.

"All right, can you confirm if they have someone with a radio or transmitter?"

-…yeah, we got one here. — The former officer.

-So do us. — Shang Chi replies this time.

"No one attack until I jam their signal, we can't afford them the luxury of reinforcements."

-Copy that Spartan. —

-Understood, we will remain hidden until then. —

"_You know Chief; they're not bad for civilians._" Cortana comments as she admitted to herself some slight worry her friend may not work well with civilians under his command. John was silent but agreed with her as so far they were performing well, but no sense in getting cocky they had much to do still.

After watching the target for well over 15 minutes the Spartan made his move when the individual moved away from the others to relieve himself, under the safety of his cloak and quietly grabbing one of his pistols he approached.

Before the man can even reach his zipper he is forcibly turned and shot in the head, the only reason he does not fall is because of the armored giant holding him upright as he drags him over to some cover.

He pats him down to remove his radio and any weapons he holds, he palms the radio and unloads and destroys his guns before covering him up. Cortana quickly infiltrates the enemy communication lines for their allies use…the enemy is now without a means to alert if anything is amiss.

"Begin the assault, do not let them get a round off and be safe." The Spartan communicates before getting to work on the others as he takes out his second pistol.

Spider-Man gets to work as he spots two sharing a smoke near some crates, he moves quietly until he has a straight shot at them with his web shooters.

"Oh boys!" he calls out getting them to turn quickly in surprise…

*TWHIP!*

…that is further compounded when they are suddenly struck by his webbing dead center to their chests and then yanked forward to the arachnid hero who delivers clothesline to both…

"Ugh!"

Followed soon after by Peter slamming his palms into their stomachs to further push them down and knocking the air out of them…

"Uff!"

And ending his assault by punching them with two well-placed fists to the jaw of each thug.

"And another one bites the dust." He says to out loud with great satisfaction in his task. He soon takes the time to remove the guns and webs them up against the crates.

"Guys, I got mine out of the way."

-Well done Spider-Man, Daredevil what is your status? — The Spartan asks as he moves behind the other two guards before two "paff" sound and they crumple into unconsciousness as the tranq rounds take effect.

The man in question was stalking the last two from their right flank, choosing to make his move he struck by gaining speed before jumping of a crate onto the unsuspecting duo.

By the time they turned towards the noise he was upon them, one flying kick to the jaw to man on the right gave him lesser numbers to deal with for the moment, the other was to stunned by the image that he did not realize he was under attack before it was too late.

Matt was quick with his strikes, one left punch to the abdomen to knock the air out of him followed by right-left hook combo to the head and ending with a back spin heel kick to the jaw that sent the goon smashing into the concrete and into unconsciousness.

As he righted himself he hurled his Billy club at the other henchman who was getting up only to have his head snap back with a loud thud and a bark of pain. This action gave the crimson clad vigilante all the time he needed to rush in and scissor his neck between his legs and start to choke him out, despite the desperate attempt to free himself the thug was doomed as he his vision faded into blackness.

"Mine are down." He communicated to his teammates.

-Good, Spider-Man go help him round them up and restrain them with the others I will join you shortly with the remaining two as well as the one I knocked out first.—

-You got it Chief.—

Matt had to admit, it was nice not going in unaware, with back up and a plan instead of making it up as it went along.

***I should partner up more often if it gets me these kinds of results.***

The Master Chief soon spotted the remaining hired guns, he moved silently as he approached while keeping his guns ready to aim and fire. Once in range he fired two silent shots to their heads, which knocked both men out quickly. He moved in and grabbed both and moved in the direction of the third man to collect him, so far everything was going smoothly but it was still too early celebrate.

_With team 2: Shang Chi, Cage and Iron Fist…_

-This is Master Chief, all hostiles down over.—

"Understood Chief, we are moving in to our targets…over." Danny replied as he looked at his companions.

Luke looked at his longtime friend and partner.

"How do you want to play this? From my count there are about seven goons here."

"We go quiet; pick them off when the chance comes, no fuss or muss and so long as none of them get a shot off we can pull it off."

"Then we should begin immediately my friends." Shang replies as he looks to his companion in earnest, both men agree with their longtime ally and move out.

Iron Fist is the first to strike spotting one man away from two others having a smoke. As quietly as possible he moves in, ducking and weaving into shadows and behind crates until reaches his target, tapping the man's shoulder while preparing his attack.

It was quick and painful as the man finally turned only to have a knee thrust itself into his stomach that nearly made him lose his dinner. This followed by a swift uppercut that broke the criminal's nose and ended kick to the jaw.

He made sure that the coast was clear before moving him someplace where they wouldn't find him.

His two companions however would have problems of their own, having begun to wonder what was taking his companion they decided to investigate…or that was the plan before they blindsided by Daniel's companions as they grabbed them in a headlock.

Oh they naturally struggled against their captors but when one is a man with super human strength and skin as hard as Titanium and another is a master of multiple martial arts as well as being able to manipulate his Chi to further enhance himself, well there was really no contest.

"You bored yet Shang?" Luke asked in a mildly bored tone despite holding the thug.

"I must confess my good friend that it is somewhat; this is hardly fair now that I think about it."

"Well life isn't meant to be and these assholes did pick the wrong career choice and got a bad case of asswhup to prove me right."

"Hmm, I will concede the truth in your words Luke." The Kung Fu master replies as his captive finally sunk into unconsciousness along with Luke's.

Luke calmly took out the weapon the Spartan loaned him; he was a bit unnerved by using the weapon but he trusted the man enough to believe it would not kill them given how he said it would be a last resort.

***Well…here goes.*** Luke thought as he took aim at the head of one of the assailants and fired with a quiet paff. Shang Chi checked for a pulse and was relieved to find one, he gave Luke a nod that let the man go of the tension he felt.

"Well that's a load off my back, come on let's get these two round up with Danny's."

The three met and after securing their prisoners move to take out the others.

They found two more thugs calmly keeping an eye out, sadly they were in an area with little cover.

"Okay, this is going to be a problem." Luke couldn't help but comment.

"Hmm, not necessarily my friend." Shang speaks up as he runs the math in his head for what he has planned, he turns to him "…how good is your aim?"

"Got first pick for all the football and basketball games as kid if that helps…" Luke replied before getting a look on his face as it dawn on him what the martial arts master was getting at "…oh I see where you're going with this."

"Going with what?" Danny asks as he catches the end of his friend's comment.

"Remember that body guard job we pulled three years back?" Luke comments as he looks at his targets to crunch some numbers.

"I remember you chucking me at the hostage taker as he tried to get away; I nearly lost my lunch thanks to that stunt." Danny grumbles as he hated that memory, if it weren't because they were friends and Luke's nigh unbreakable skin he would have used his Iron fist on him.

"Hey I said I was sorry and if you remember that stunt worked, but that's not why asked, we are going to something like that only with you and Shang."

Danny gave him a look behind his masked before taking a look at their targets and then back at Luke.

*SIGH*

"Fine, but so help me Luke, pregnant girlfriend or not you throw us in the drink and I will hurt you." Danny threatens as he does not want to take an impromptu swim or alert their foes.

***Plus I don't want to piss off the Spartan if we screw up.***

Luke rolled his eyes at the threat, it was empty one and they both knew it, they had been friends for too long to let anything bad happen to the other. Oh they messed around like all friends do but they also had each other's backs when they needed help.

"Then we should get ready, we must time this perfectly." Shang Chi spoke as he finished making the necessary calculations in his head.

Both men soon stood a good distance away from Luke, who was faced towards them while hunching down with his hands down ready to give them a boost. Shang soon nodded and both men took off running at the third member of their group, once they are close enough they leap with one foot landing on the palms of their powerhouse member and are launched.

The two thugs on watch were peaceful until one spotted something heading towards them…though it was too late to do anything but cry out.

"What the…?!"

Before they could give warning to pairs of feet found their way into their chests and knocked them into several crates with enough force to stun them…but that was not enough for their assailants as they righted themselves midair and upon landing rush them.

Iron Fist lived up to his name as he channels his Chi so that his blows, while slightly above average, are now more powerful that when he strikes the man with a glowing fist to his stomach hard enough to lift him up before sending him crashing down with a kick to his back. He would live but be in quite some pain for many days to come.

Shang Chi is quicker in dealing out his punishment as he leaps at the slightly standing thug and delivers a double roundhouse kick to the head of the man. After being spun around he falls in a heap onto the ground.

"Well… that was fun." Danny says dryly as he lets the adrenaline come down after their stunt.

"It was effective though." Shang Chi adds as he grabs his fallen enemy, Danny mirroring his actions.

"Stop right there assholes." One of the only two remaining thugs in their area commanded followed by them arming their weapons as they aimed.

*CLICK!*

***Oh you have got to be shitting me! Luke and Misty will never let me hear the end of this.*** Iron Fist thinks dismally more out of getting caught than the precarious situation he and Shang found themselves in.

"Ok you two fucks, get down on the ground, now!"

One of the henchmen barked as he readied his weapon in case they tried anything.

Danny and Shang were silent though, which only served to anger the thugs further making them unaware that the two were hardly alone.

"I said down on the ground now!"

"Oh we heard you but we don't want to and our friend behind you may object to that." Danny replied calmly as he nods behind the two, both whirl around and find Luke there who grasps the barrels of their weapons and crushes them in a screech of metal.

Both criminals look at their ruined weapons then at the man in front of him.

"Yeah, that just happened." Luke says just before he grabs them by their heads and "gently" rams them into the others this knocking them out before he fires a TTR into both men just to make sure.

"This is Cage, all our bad guys are down…uh over." He reports to the others a bit stiffly as he has never worked with a man like the Chief before.

-Affirmative Mr. Cage, make sure your captives are secured before planting the C7, will see you when the others are ready over and out.—

"Well this is going to be fun." Luke could not help but chuckle; though he then remembered the situation his best friend found himself in moments ago and could not help but smile at his direction.

"Oh shut up Luke!"

"I didn't say anything." He replies innocently with a look that said he was thinking about it.

***Oh yeah, I am so telling the girls about this.*** He thinks as he smiles even more at the thought.

_With team 3: Misty, Colleen and Black Cat…_

"Well ladies, the boys are done so let's get cracking or we'll lag behind." The red clad woman spoke to her companions.

"So I scouted ahead and saw eight goons, we got three guns between the three of us plus your arm's special functions, so I figure nice and quiet to eliminate them one by one." Colleen says to both women.

"That may take too long." Felicia chimes in, she may be up for some thrills now and then but this was rather serious.

"Agreed, we need to get them in groups if we can." The Nubian woman spoke as he rubs her chin in thought on how to do that, she was a cop not a soldier but still her time on the street had given her some insights.

"What's the biggest grouping you saw Colleen?"

"Four."

"That could be a problem." Misty replies with some worry.

"Not if we distract them."

Felicia responds with sly smirk on her face, one that if Peter had seen would have him groaning as he knew what idea she had come up with was too dangerous, too reckless and suicidal or some bizarre combination of the three. And despite the fact neither of the women had a lot of experience with Felicia, even they could not help but wonder just WHAT she had in mind. Though after looking at Black Cat's getup…they began to get SOME idea of what she had in mind.

_Moments later…_

The group Colleen spotted was still together making sure everything was going smoothly on their end, completely unaware the situation was not in their control anymore.

"Hey you really think any of those damn capes will show?" One of the guards said to another smoking a cigarette nearby while the other two kept an eye out.

"They better not, Kingpin brought some major firepower and those guys he got are scary and nuts in the case of that Deadpool freak." The man replied with a slight hint of nervousness while one of the others spoke up.

"No shit man, I saw that guy get bored and started pestering Rhino, big guy chucked him into a container hard enough his neck snapped and then he just got back up snapped it into place and laughed."

"Oh that is sick!" the last of their group says with a grimace.

"Well maybe I can help you forget about the nasty man big boy." They all suddenly hear behind them and turn around abruptly.

There was Cat casually leaning on crate in a way that show off her curves, it also didn't hurt she had her suit opened down to her navel and showed enough skin the men were hooked.

"Cat got your tongue studs?" She speaks seductively with a wicked smirk on her face... it only got wider when one of the goons gulped.

"Uh um g-get your hands up l-lady." One of the men stutters out, though he can't take his eyes off the leather clad woman or her slightly exposed assets. It was also just as obvious that his other buddy was looking as intently as he was.

"Aw, do I have to? I can think of better things we could be doing." She replies seductively as she runs her hands over her form, namely on the edges of the zipper she just parted and on her skin, though she maintains her alertness as she spots her teammates move into position and are now waiting for the go ahead.

"I said get your hands up lady."

He barked out as he finally gets his head out of the gutter and tries to get the handle on the situation, the other thug with him doing the same as they raise their weapons at her though he was a lot more reluctant than his partner. Still she keeps up the act while Misty and Colleen ready their weapons themselves.

"Oh well, here I wanted to have some fun and you have to go and spoil it, well I did my job at least isn't that right girls?" She says to the women behind the men who turn abruptly only to face two armed women pointing guns at them.

*CLICK!* they heard behind them and now saw Black Cat aiming her own weapon.

"Don't you just hate it when the good guys pull a fast one?" The platinum blonde woman remarks with a shameless smile.

*PAF!* *PAF!* *PAF!* *PAF!*

And with that four men now lay on the ground thanks to the three ladies.

"Well that went well." Felicia couldn't help but comment in a pleased tone.

"Yeah well considering you were practically showing off the goods who wouldn't be distracted…"

Misty couldn't help but add as she produced a length of rope she brought with her to tie the men up.

"…I mean seriously? What kind of asshole hires this type of help? I thought the Kingpin was smarter than this, hell he's THE Kingpin for crying out loud, you'd think he'd hire REAL help."

"I am just that hot Misty."

"Well you better zip up because although the thought of the bad guys ogling you while we beat the shit out of them sound appealing I don't want our boys getting distracted if they managed to get in sight range of you."

"Especially a certain someone hmm?"

Colleen quipped at her best friend.

"Oh up yours Colleen."

A somewhat irritated reply came, though she wouldn't deny that she was feeling some jealousy there.

"Love you too sweetie; now let's get moving since the others may come to check up on these losers."

Colleen comments to her friend and teammate.

They soon moved out to deal with the remaining goons.

They spotted two of them talking and smoking with the other two further away from them and each other, all within sight of the other making a single takedown impossible.

"Looks like we need to take them out at the same time ladies…" Cat says as she looks at the situations and tries to think how to get them out of the picture "…I'm open to suggestions."

"We got to split up and take them out at the exact same time or we are screwed." Misty replies.

"Right, who takes on whom?"

"I got the two assholes up front, Colleen you take the middle, Cat the one at the end. Then Cat starts us off on my mark now let's move girls."

All three soon broke away and moved into position and waited for Misty to send the signal. It was not a long wait as Misty gave the word to attack.

Felicia wasted no time as she fires her grapple hook into the man's assault rifle and pulls as it sinks into the metal, as it the weapon flies towards her she runs towards her shock opponent and grabs the weapon midair.

With utmost confidence in her success she thrust the stock of the weapon into her enemy's temple…

"Gah!"

As the man recoils in pain she drops the weapon and swings her right fist into his face hard…

*CRACK!* goes his jaw before finally receiving a spin kick to the back of his head that knocked him out.

While Cat was doing this Colleen was not idle, she started her attack by throwing her knives with keen precision into the man's hands and shoulders.

"Son of a…!" He cries out as they embed themselves into his flesh, not enough to cause major blood loss as that was not her intent but pain was crucial as it kept him from seeing her rush him.

When he does do it is already too late as she launches herself into the air to deliver a roundhouse to his face that has him spitting blood, once she lands on her feet she shoulder tackles him against some crates before kicking his stomach to get him to double over and finish him off with a knee to the face.

Out of the corner of her eye Colleen spotted the final criminal raise his weapon towards her, however she felt no worry as she also saw he was about to experience his own set of troubles.

Before the man could pull the trigger his weapon flew out of his hand into the outstretched artificial arm of one Misty Knight thanks to one of two upgrades given by her lover.

***Note to self, thoroughly thank Danny for the upgrades later.*** she thinks as she grasps the weapon and watches the metal liquefy due to her arms special materials. Once done she leveled a hard look at the stupefied goon.

"You just made two big mistakes motherfucker, one you tried to hurt my best friend and two you just pissed me off." With that said she activated another of her upgrades, a concussive blast.

*BLAM!*

"ARGH!" the criminal cries out as he slams into some crates hard, his troubles sadly were not over as Misty steps up to him and delivers a hard kick to his manhood…

"UGH!"

…before she finally knocks him out with a well-paced kick to the face and a headshot from her loaned M6.

"Humph, punk got nothing on me." She says with a satisfied smirk.

"Went a little overboard don't you think?" Colleen asks as she and Felicia move towards her friend, though in realty she could care less about the thug seeing as he was planning on shooting her.

"Ain't anyone going to mess with my BFF and get away unharmed."

"I love you too sweetie."

Misty simply chuckles before contacting the other teams.

"Misty here, my team has taken down all our goons. Over."

-Affirmative, be prepared to breach on my mark and all of you remember that as soon as we breach you go for your assigned targets. Those of you paired up watch each other six and if things escalate beyond our control I will pacify the situation by any means.—

The Spartan spoke with no indication he had a problem with dealing judgment of the extreme variety, it honestly unnerved some of the team how easily he spoke of dealing out death in this situation.

-Let's make sure it doesn't come to that, see you guys on the inside.— Luke says before cutting off the line.

"Likewise boys…and Danny, please be careful." Misty can't help but say in the end.

-…you too love. — She heard him reply lovingly.

"Save some of the multi armed fat ass for me Spider." Cat says to her former lover.

-No promises pretty Kitty.—

With that said the ladies got ready to storm the castle.

_With the Spartan…_

***Here we go, no turning back now.*** John privately thinks to himself as he and his group prepare the assault. This would be just as unique as his other battles in this world, though now he was counting on individuals who often worked alone or in small groups.

"Is everyone in position?"

-We are good to go Spartan. — Misty replies.

-Let's do it. — Luke sent back.

"Are you ready gentlemen?" He asks the men next to him getting a nod for each.

"On my mark in 5…4…3…2…1…MARK!" at that last word the trigger for the explosive went off.

_Inside the warehouse…_

The criminals and the enforces were feeling somewhat tense given the nature of their work, or at least the majority of the criminals and Rhino, Dr. Octopus and Taskmaster felt that way.

The other villains just wanted something to happen…they soon got their wish.

*BOOM!* multiple explosions soon rang out from around them.

"Finally something fun happens." The Merc with the Mouth cries out as his blades.

The other villains do not share his enthusiasm while the hired help scrambled to get some order in the ensuing chaos.

[Losers never know how to appreciate the simple things in life; massive doses of violence do wonders for your skin.]

[DEADPOOL! STOP FUCKING THE FLOW OF THE STORY OR SO HELP ME I WILL PUT YOU IN THE PIT AGAIN AND LEAVE YOU THERE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE STORY!]

[…I'll be a good boy.]

[You damn well better, sorry again folks he got away from me again.]

Sadly for them their attempts soon became useless as from the origins of the explosions several figures came out, and from them they saw small objects thrown into the larger groupings of enemies.

That's when loud flashes of light and sound erupted as UNSC made flash bangs and sonic grenades went off in near perfect timing.

"Son of a bitch!"

"My ears!"

"Gah! What the fuck!"

The super powered enforcers were not exempt from this as they reeled from the few devices detonating close to them. Than they heard several paff's, some having experience with such a noise knew their foes were using silencers…meaning guns.

"FAN OUT AND TAKE THEM OUT!" Taskmaster shouted as he pulled his sword and shield, he would be damned if he was to be done in by some spook with a deathwish. When he finally saw who was attacking them he wished it WAS a secret operative…they were at least predictable.

"Oh boys! You know I hate when you don't invite me and my friends to the party."

Spider-man quips as he launches his webbing at a small grouping of 4 thugs who are still reeling from the effects of the grenades.

"It's the fucking bug! Waste him!" Tombstone cries out as he grabs a shotgun from one of the downed men.

"You know I am not going to even bother correcting people anymore. They just seem to let the correction go in one ear and out the other."

Peter quips as he webs up a pair of thugs as he jumps over stacks of crates.

"I blame the lack of public television for that oversight." Felicia adds.

***I love this part of the job...*** She thinks as she feels the adrenal surge as she charges into the fray with Peter at her side "**…just like old times.**"

Behind the two John was firing at the thugs with his SOCOM, getting them out of the fight before they could rally themselves.

"_You know moonlighting as a superhero sure does leave little to be bored of John._" Cortana comments idly while she keeps her proverbial eyes peeled for trouble.

"I suppose so." He replies to her as he nails three men in the head with TTR's.

"_Careful John, you are almost out of TTR's and we may not get a chance to pull out more._"

"_All right Chief, just remember this Tombstone bozo may not have the skill to beat but he has the strength and endurance to give you trouble._"

"Roger that, time to deal with him and the others." He replies before opening the comm channel to address the heroes.

"Time to take the fight to them, remember to watch yourselves and if you take down your target move to help the ones closest to you."

He says to his team before he charges in to the fray towards his opponent.

Tombstone sees him and grabs a nearby assault rifle and fires at the approaching Spartan, only to see a golden glow surround him as he continues to charge.

"Fall you son of a bitch!" The pale man shouted as he continued to fire.

"Not to you and not now."

The Chief replies calmly despite his impending battle.

The weapon finally ran dry and was discarded as Tombstone met him head on.

He wasn't the only one going for the direct approach as Luke spotted his own opponent. The man was still having trouble seeing so he did not notice the Harlem raised hero charge at him until he felt him crash into his stomach while lifting him up…

"Oof!"

"Let's take this outside." He says as he rams Rhino into every object in their path to soften him up much to the Russian born powerhouse's ire.

Misty and Colleen were not idle as the ran at the Merc with a Mouth firing at him as the drew closer, the problem was that in a show of ability no one would expect he moved his blades at blinding speeds causing the TTR to be deflected away from him.

***Yes! I am such a bad ass with this! Take that Ryan Reynolds!***

Unfortunately he did not take into account or he simply did not care enough to notice the fact that those very TTR's he deflected ricocheted and hit some of the thugs around him. A fact that a very vocal Bullseye lets him know as he takes cover…

"Deadpool you fucking idiot! Watch what you're doing you moron!"

"Sorry Lester! I was too busy being a bad ass to care…hey wait a minute, why am I even apologizing to you? I fucking hate you and will kick your ass thoroughly later on until you bribe me you pussy!"

The demented Merc refutes before focusing on the two women who have no drawn their own swords.

"OMG! SWORDFIGHT!" He gleefully cries as he rushes them.

The Kingpins top assassin simply stares banefully at the man.

***If it weren't for the fact that Fisk is paying double for working with that asshole.***

He mentally grumbles as he picks himself off the ground and readies some shuriken to hurl at Colleen.

It is only through years of training and battling Daredevil that he dodges the glowing fist directed at his head.

"You know, I am normally a very patient and tolerant man, but then you had to try and do that." One very angry Iron Fist comments as he readies himself for combat.

"Oh you have got to be shitting me; seriously you think your kung fu shit can take me on?" The assassin sneers while his voice rings with utter contempt.

"Shouldn't be too hard…" Danny replies confidently with a smirk "…Daredevil told me you can't hit the broadside of a bus much less him so I think this will be a walk in the park."

That got a reaction from his enemy as if there was one thing that set him off was when his abilities were questioned.

"I am going to rip your heart out and make you eat it!" With that threat delivered he ran at the champion of Kun'Lun.

Bullseye was not the only one to be getting into a heated fight as some feet away from them Daredevil found himself parrying swords with his own tool against the infamous Mr. X.

As the Spartan had hoped, Mr. X had attempted to link his mind to Matt's but the sensory feedback was too much for him, he clutched his head in agony which left him open for a right hook to the jaw and be thrown back by left back spin kick to the stomach.

The assassin regrouped fairly quickly and pulled out his favored weapons for this bout.

"Heard a lot of things about you." The scarred man spoke while keeping his defenses up.

"Funny, can't say the same about you." Matt replies while stays alert.

"The best killers are the ones lest heard about, I am not in this for the fame or the money, though it comes in handy, but the blood and thrill? Oh yes, that is something I can enjoy." Mr. X says with a look of utter ecstasy at the prospect of shedding blood, making the crimson clad hero feel a rare time he senses revulsion towards another.

"You are one sick twisted bastard."

"Eh, to each his own devil boy!" The man shouts as he charges with blades ready to cleave the defender of Hell's kitchen.

In another section Shang Chi and Taskmaster stared each other down, the former holding the knives the Master Chief had loaned him for his fight while Taskmaster held his sword and shield at the ready.

"So what shall I learn from you this night?" The skull masked man asks casually.

"You have no honor thief, you steal the hard earned skills of others and use it only to gain more wealth and inflict unnecessary pain on the innocent instead of following the teachings that come with said skill." Shang scornfully rebukes.

"Money makes the world spin, though I think a backwater hick like you can't understand that undeniable truth what with precious honor, now shut up and fight."

"You shall learn the meaning of true combat this night."

With that said both men move to engage each other.

Finally the amazing Spider-man and his feline themed companion were facing of against on of his oldest enemies.

"So level with me here Doc…" Peter starts off as he ducks under a metallic tentacle "…when did you become a common grunt that rents himself cheap?"

"You insolent arachnid fool! I am no mere thug, I am a business man who knows a good deal when he sees it, and with the funds I will earn from this endeavor I shall be able to fund my experiments that shall show the world my genius."

"Careful Octavious…"

Felicia spoke up as she twisted in the air to avoid another metallic arm from sweeping her legs out from under her. She knew tangling with Ock was risky since he was a dangerous man indeed, but that hardly stopped her.

"…your crazy is showing."

"Be silent you fat cow!"

The mad doctor snarls as he haves two arms grab a pair of crates and hurl them at the two.

Cat runs to Spider-man who gives her a boost into the air as he deftly jumps over one crate and as soon as he lands bends under the other one with a great show of how limber he is just before righting himself and grabbing Black Cat in his arms.

"Did that fat ass just call me a fat cow?"

She asks with a certain edge on her voice.

"That depends, would you fight harder if he did?" He asks his ex.

"Yes."

"Then he did indeed call you that."

"That bastard! Your ass is mine Octavious!"

She screams as she charges in towards the multi armed scientist.

***Well now he's gone and made her mad. But then again…the guy did have it coming.***

Peter thinks grimly as he moves to back her up as has seen her angry before and it was not pretty.

All around the warehouse, as well as outside in the case of Cage and Rhino, the battles were raging between the super soldier and his allies against the Kingpins forces.

Tombstone was currently avoiding blasts from the Chief's shotgun as he ducked over cover and fired from a borrowed assault rifle he took from one of the downed thugs. His shirt showed two holes from two blasts he took and though they had not broken through his resilient skin they had more force and hurt him enough to notice the pain. He would rather avoid being shot again especially in the face.

***Not that this helps, the fucker has got some kind of shield that this gun can't even pierce…*** He growls as he thinks about the situation ***…fuck this shit, I don't need a gun to break this asshole!*** with that he looks for anything to provide a distraction.

The Master Chief in the meantime is reloading his shotgun while Cortana keeps an eye out with the armor sensor suite.

"_You know Chief you could try to use the BR's rounds maybe they will penetrate this guy's hide._" She speaks to her protector as she tries to keep track of everyone.

"Possibly but I would rather we deliver him to the authorities with as little bullet holes as possible, remember that not every police officer is in favor of my approach."

"_True, though given how many have fallen to him and some of the others here I doubt you will find many objecting to manhandling them a bit..._" She replies before she "sees" two rapidly approaching objects heading towards them "_...head up!_"

Two metal crates full of weapons soar at the Spartan at high speed, he rolls to the left as the crash where he once stood before his motion detector shows movement.

"_Get ready chief, here he comes!_" The A.I shouts as they see Tombstone come barreling down on them with a table acting as a shield. John for his part starts firing his shotgun continuously at the makeshift barrier that stands between him and the super powered enforcer.

It however buys the man enough time to make one final push as the table shatters and allows him to tackle the armored soldier. Despite the weight of the armor the man lifts him up easily given his super strength sends the Master Chief crashing into some crates that block his vision.

Tombstone for his part grabs the man's discarded shotgun and snaps it over his knee just as the Spartan pulls himself out of the debris.

"I hate it when that happens." He comments to his partner.

"_We have plenty back on the ship John, so focus on the angry grey skin thug scowling at us._"

"Your mine now fucker." Said thug growled as he moved to tear the man apart, problem was the Chief was already up and ready for him. Tombstone threw a right cross to the Spartan's head only for him to back step, the hitman threw a left cross and the same occurs only this John delivers a punch at the man's exposed left flank.

"Ugh!" He cries out as there was enough for in the blow for him to feel it.

He tries to backhand the soldier only to get a punch to the stomach for his trouble.

"Son of a…!" Tombstone grunts with equal parts anger and pain while his anger grows.

The hero of the UNSC just stands at the ready to continue, he was doing well for now but he could not let his guard down for a moment, overconfidence could lead to death if he allowed it.

"Surrender peacefully Tombstone."

John orders firmly while he takes a stances knowing the man before him would not do so. But he did give the option of surrender as a chance to walk away from this alive and intact.

"Fuck you! Rargh!" The man throws back as he charges the Spartan II as he begins to throw wild punches left and right in hopes of killing his foe. This was not to be as despite his size the Chief showed great agility in evading the strikes as well as countering his blows with his own. And compared to the various Brutes, Elites, and Hunters he tangled with in the past…Tombstone was not going to have an easy time hitting him.

Such as the case as when Tombstone a right uppercut only for the Chief to step back and then deliver a swift but powerful kick to the man's stomach with enough force behind it to send him crashing onto a weapon filled table.

"_End this Chief, the others could use our help._" Cortana says as she has had enough of the petty thug's attempts to kill her Spartan. John says nothing but agrees with his partner.

As Tombstone slowly rises from having the wind knocked out of him he feels as he is forcibly stood upright and stares into the golden visor of the Master Chief.

"You should have surrendered when I offered." With that said he launches a right cross to the man's jaw.

"Ugh!"

The Spartan does not relinquish his hold on the man as he lets of another strike.

"Agh!"

Finally he pulls him once more to punch his face as well as back hand him to the floor. The Kingpins enforcer spits out some blood while trying to get his bearings. This does not stop the Spartan from kicking him in the stomach with his armor enhanced strengh.

"Guh!"

If the criminal expected the man beating him to play by some code of honor that heroes always lived by he was painfully wrong as the Chief fought to win, fairness was not on his mind as he grabbed the man by the back of his shirt and pants and hurled him to another stack of crates. Mendez gave him a code of honor to live by and he honored that code when it came to protecting lives…but that code also told him to give enemies of Humanity a VERY sound beating, and Tombstone was now going to get it right in spades. After all…Mendez himself had a less than stellar option of thugs and criminals since he saw the Innies as such when they used WMDs against civilians.

Deciding to end this confrontation he grabbed his enemy once more.

"No…no more….I surre…surrender."

Tombstone gets outs as his face is a crimson mess, not even the arachnid themed hero was this brutal, the taste of blood tells him enough to know he has internal bleeding and the pain in his body meant broken bones and whatnot. It became painfully clear to him that this guy who fought the Hulk was NOT the gentle type.

"Good." Was all the Spartan said before he uppercuts the man jaw with enough for to send him off the ground while a sickening crack is heard as his jaw finally gives out.

"_Nice job Chief, now come on, Mr. Cage looks like he could use some back up._" Cortana says as satellite imaging shows her the two powerhouses tearing the area up in their bout. John says nothing but pulls of his battle rifle and moves to the sounds of gunfire outside.

He arrived to the sight of the men ducking it out while they were being shot at from the remaining men on board the ship and on the dock, though from the looks of things they were not doing much good since the bullets were simply bouncing of the Rhino's thick hide and Luke's Titanium hard skin.

***Time to relieve some of the burden of Mr. Cage.***

The Spartan thinks as he takes aim while using the attached scope on his rifle to make sure he hits the right marks.

Soon the gunfire begins to lessen as some of the criminals are on the ground clutching bleeding wounds on their arms or legs, nothing fatal but definitely incapacitating.

Luke spares only a moment to acknowledge the armored soldier before focusing on his opponent. It had been a good 10 minutes since he had caught the man off guard and used that time to wear him down before he could get reoriented. However the Rhino was not just anyone despite his brutish ways, he had earned a reputation despite his losses against men like Hulk and Spider-man, and given the trouble he was having with said man it was well earned.

This was proven when a right cross struck him on the jaw, he was rattled but not enough to sidestep the following left punch aimed to his temple, years of being in many fights were working in his favor for the most part.

Ducking under a right kick that would have sent him flying is it landed, he tried to strike the knee joint but the Rhino was surprisingly fast enough to pull back. Luke bit back a curse before jumping back from an overhand strike.

*BOOM!*

The large man's fists made a small crater as they struck the concrete.

Luke was glad he was the smaller man here since that made him the more maneuverable of the two. Rhino may have size and reach but it wasn't the first time the former Power Man was at a disadvantage and luckily he knew how to fight these types of battles.

Rhino was not of the same opinion as he was struggling to finish off the other man, it also didn't help the Spartan was there and he finds himself resisting the urge to pay the man back for shooting him.

"Eye's front stupid."

The Russian powerhouse soon found a black skin fist embedded in his stomach much to his ire that was soon followed by a punch to his face that made him turn sideways.

"Grrr, I am going you send you back to your ghetto in pieces!" Rhino growled in fury.

"One, my neighborhood ain't no damn ghetto and two you just got yourself a world of hurt for that comment you motherfucker."

Both men charged one another and found themselves in a contest of wills as they tried to overpower each other in a grapple hold. Rhino had the weight behind him but Luke was better grounded for the moment.

"I will crush you!"

"Yeah right, like I haven't heard that one before." Luke grunts in response, taking a moment to assess his situation to come up with a plan to take down his enemy.

***Okay so what do I have to work with here besides a pair of grenades? I got some moves Danny taught me, got more speed than this 'roided up asshole here and I can fight dirty too…ok I got something, here goes.***

"Time for a ride asshole!" Cage shouts as he pulls instead of pushing Rhino as he tries to overcome the other half of Heroes For Hire, as he does this he raises his feet and places then on his foe's chest and let's gravity and his strength do the rest.

Rhino was caught off guard by the improvised move he had no time to react as he was hurled into several containers that gave way given the force he hit them with. He wasn't so much as hurt as opposed to being winded and surprised by Cage's actions.

That moment of surprise ends as two objects bounce below him, he stares for a moment before the realization hits him that those two objects are grenades.

"Oh sh…!"

*BOOM!*

"Argh!" The large man cries out more out of shock than pain, true to the Spartan's words the grenades caught him off guard and stunned him and this was the perfect opening in Luke's opinion as he rushed the man trying to gain his wits about.

As Rhino was down on all fours Luke came in and threw a left fist to the face…

"Ugh!"

This was followed by Cage pulling the horn back and ramming his knee in catching his nose…

*CRUNCH!*

Which promptly broke under the force of the punch that smashed hard into the face, the Russian powerhouse cries out while using one hand to hold his face and the other to back hand his enemy from where he thought he was still standing. Sadly for him Luke predicted this and made sure to jump back in time to avoid the strike before going back in and kicking him in the ribs that flipped him onto his back in pain.

At this point things went worse for Rhino as Luke grabbed him by the legs and began to spin him around until he was lifted off the ground.

"This will teach you never to disrespect Harlem again asshole!"

With that statement said he let go of the larger man and saw as he flew through several container and into the ship from where the illicit cargo was brought in.

"I love this job." Luke can't help but say out loud with a smile.

The Spartan soon caught up him just as he had taken care of the last resistance, using one of his helmets vision modes he could clearly see that Rhino was out of the fight.

"_You got to admit the man can get results._" Cortana tells him on their private com channel.

"Agreed."

"Well done Mr. Cage, hopefully he will remain unconscious long enough for SHIELD and the police to contain him."

"Yeah, cavalry should be getting calls right now with the entire ruckus we be making."

"Indeed let us help our allies inside and make it easy for them to transport."

Luke nods in agreement and both men soon head back into the warehouse.

_Inside the warehouse (while Luke and Chief fought outside)…_

The situation had degraded into an even more chaotic battle now than it was at the start. The heroes and villains were going at it with no signs of stopping soon as they tried to beat or destroy the other.

"You know what we need?" Deadpool comments casually as he fires his SMG's at Misty and Colleen "…some bitchin' action music like, like some Metallica or Avenge Sevenfold…wait I think I have some tunes on my Ipod."

He says as he drops a gun mindless of the fact it fires a round into his knee.

Both women were hidden behind some cover as the mad mercenary shot at them.

"You know I am seriously considering letting him shoot me just to stop listening to him." Colleen comments to her partner.

"You and me both…" Misty replies before firing on the crimson clad mercenary until the clip went dry "…damn I'm out."

"So am I, though you still got your arm and I got my knives." The blonde comments as she readies her throwing knives.

"Ok here's the plan, I take a shot at him with my arm while you flank him and go for his face, even if you miss he will be distracted enough for me to take away his weapons." Misty says as she readies her arms cryo beam function, Colleen nods before moving into position, on some silent signal the Nubian woman jumps out and fires a beam of intense cold at their enemy.

"Oh come on baby why the cold shoulder? Heh, I made a funny."

"Hilarious!" Colleen shouts as she throws her knives at his face, all three found their mark as they embedded themselves into his face.

"OW! My face! My horribly disfigured face!"

[That isn't how the line goes HOK!] He tells me knowing full well I will not answer…stupid little turd.

[Hey!]

Misty rushed from her cover and a quick chop to the wrist made the man drop his gun into her waiting mechanical hand, before he could react she crushed it.

"You bitch! That was one of my favorites…" he shouts as he pulls off his swords

"…I shot a crapload of AIM nerds with it last week."

Misty and Colleen ignored this as they grabbed their swords; despite everything they had seen of the mercenary before them he was still very dangerous and worse very unpredictable.

Wade was the first to strike as he sent a horizontal slash with the blade on his left towards the blonde in white who blocks it while her partner goes for a hit while he is distracted. This fails as he ducks under the hit and back kicks her in the chest causing her to fall back and roll to get back on her feet.

Colleen goes in with a vertical strike, followed by horizontal slash to his stomach and ending by spinning around and delivering rising slash to his center. Deadpool however proves he can take what she throws at him as he sidesteps the first strike, blocks the second attack and back steps to avoid the final attack before he jumps back in with shoulder tackle to her center of gravity that topples her.

Before he can capitalize he is struck by a force beam on his left and sent flying into some crates.

"Shit! Who the hell brings lame ass lasers to a goddamn swordfight!? Honestly it ruins the whole damn fight mystique!"

He yells as he spots Misty with her cybernetic appendage pointed towards him and ready to fire again.

"Oh someone is so getting bitch slapped."

He growls as he is back up and no worse for wear thanks to his healing factor.

The Nubian woman ignores this as she fires again and again at the now charging maniac. Said maniac was doing a fine job of avoiding the hits and advance until the other women steps in resumes the assault though she is more cautious now. Deadpool may be crazy to the extreme but he was among the few who could take on some the best fighters she knew of…one of them being Logan so there was no way she was going to let herself get careless..

The clangs of metal on metal resounded as both women fought the man who was holding his own due to his unorthodox style, willingness to be wounded and his limitless healing and stamina. Something they could not duplicate and was taking its toll on the two, not only that but even if they managed to land a punch or a kick it only lead to him ignoring the damage and retaliating.

Misty and Colleen were both feeling tired and aching as they stood apart from the Merc with a Mouth, neither woman was about to give up though.

"What the hell does it take to keep this asshole down?" Misty spat.

"Probably the same thing to get him to shut up, a big ass nuke I figure." Colleen replies.

"I'm not feeling the love here girls, I know we had a rough start but let's start over, hi I'm Deadpool the Merc with the Mouth and I can do wonders with it for you." He says with a suggestive wink that for some reason I cannot comprehend his mask allows.

"Fuck that shit, Colleen time to take this bitch down hard!" The thoroughly angered Nubian woman cries out as she charges the man with her partner right behind, as she does this she begins to charge her artificial arm's force beam to maximum.

Once more an all-out fight takes place as the Daughters of the Dragon launch a barrage of sword strikes and melee at their enemy who meets them blow for blow. All it would take would be one mistake for one side to lose…that moment soon came.

Colleen moved ahead of her partner with a leaping overhead strike that Deadpool blocks with his right sword while with his left blocks blow from Misty, it wasn't until he felt a hand on his chest that sees her artificial arm humming with power while her other hand holds her blade in a reverse grip.

Effectively trapped he can't help but try to get one more word in…

"You motherfu…!

"Talk to the hand bitch!"

Misty practically snarls as she lets loose the force blast at point blank into the Merc.

"SHHHIIIIIITTTTT!"

He cries out as he flies with a trail of smoke through one of the warehouse windows and sadly lands onto a metal scrap to dispose of.

*SQUELCH!*

"Fuck…you…Kaos."

Back inside both women were exhausted, but still glad their fight was over.

"This is Misty, our opponents down." The African American woman spoke into her earpiece.

-Good job, do you require medical attention?—the voice of the Master Chief replies.

"We're a bit bruised but nothing serious, though we are out of this fight Spartan, bastard took a lot out of us than we expected."

-Understood, meet at the rendezvous point while I and the others finish up here.—

"Got it, watch your backs these are not the pushovers I thought they were going to be."

-Affirmative, we will see you as soon as we can.—

"Come on Colleen, time to bow out will we can and let the boys finish up." She said to her best friend as together they got up and made their way out.

***Be careful Danny, don't make any damn mistakes…I am not going to lose you.*** She silently thought to the man she cared for.

_With Iron Fist…_

Iron Fist and Bullseye found themselves at an impasse as both men's skill set made the fight go on longer than necessary. Danny was currently taking cover while going over plans to get close to the hitman, taking a look at his suit he knew he had to be careful as he could some tares and gashes from some of his near misses and also focusing his Chi in areas where the man did manage a hit albeit in a non-critical area.

***I am never going to discount Colleen's throwing knives as a threat ever again, damn those hurt.***

On the other side holding some throwing knives Bullseye was glaring harshly while holding his ribs with his free hand as he was pretty sure they were bruised if not fractured from a blow he took when he let the man get to close. Though no slouch when it came to close range combat, Iron Fist was on another level than him.

***Doesn't help he hits like a freight train with those glowing punches of his, I'm asking for a raise after this shit.***

"You still alive back there? I hope so, that way I can see the life fade from your eyes after I stick you to the wall." He taunts the martial arts master.

Danny thinks back to what Daredevil said to him once the Chief established who would face who.

_Flashback…_

-Iron Fist, a word of advice when dealing with Bullseye. — The guardian of Hell's Kitchen says over the radio just before they were to breach the warehouse.

"I'm listening."

-Make him angry, take shots at his skills, he is at his most dangerous when he is focused but take that focus away and he trades skill for raw aggression and will make mistakes you need to capitalize on.—

"Got it, thanks for the tip."

_End flashback_

"Big talk for someone who can't hit me, no wonder Daredevil thinks you're a joke, Bullseye? More like bullshit." Danny replies bluntly with no point in hiding his disdain for the assassin. And that had the results that he wanted as Bullseye began to get angry and in turn sloppy in his attempts to turn Iron Fist into his personal pin cushion.

"Shut up."

"It must gall you that you aren't the best, I mean Spider-man has powers, Daredevil has powers but me? I just got martial arts on my side and you can't beat me can you? You can't hit me right."

"I said shut up." Bullseye patience was now at the breaking point, he despised being told he wasn't the best at his work and to have it pointed out by someone who he considers a mere nobody just makes him see red.

"Face facts, you can't win this, there is no scenario where you come out of this on top. You are nothing but a loser!"

"Grrr I will fucking kill you! You hear me? I will kill you just like I killed the devil bastard's bitch! In fact I will do the same to yours after I am done with you."

"Come and get some then." Danny taunts with no remorse as he readies himself for the assault to come, it was not a long one as the assassin began to attack.

Bullseye shows his skill by throwing a series ninja stars at certain angles at the ground they ricocheted towards the champion of Kun'Lun at deadly speeds, Iron Fist saw them coming and leapt out of the way before he retaliates by kicking up and empty crate and back handing it towards his foe.

The man in question ducks under the makeshift projectile, this however works to Danny's favor as he runs towards the assassin all the while focusing his Chi. Bullseye sees him coming and goes for his last weapons, a set of throwing knives he hurls at his opponent.

Iron Fist however continues to charge all the while his mind and his chi are focused in his next series of moves; he cannot afford any mistakes as executes his plans to shut down hi enemy for good.

He rolls under first knife, dodges to the right, slaps away with his right the third, dodges left and finally lunges at the surprised hitman.

"Ugh!" He cries out as Iron Fist finishes getting back up and takes a stance as his fist glow, ready to take on the infamous Bullseye. Said hitman quickly rises and throws a punch his enemy blocks with his left forearm while delivering a right cross to the jaw…

"Agh!"

Followed by a spinning backhand with his left…

"Argh!"

Bullseye tries to retaliate by using the force of the blow to go into a back roundhouse but Daniel quickly catches it within right arm and smashes his free fist into the knee joint.

*CRACK!*

"Son of…!"

Iron Fist continues by releasing his leg and then executing a round house of his own as he jumps high enough to strike his abdominal region and launching him to a nearby container…

"Guh!" blood spills out as his already bruised body suffers more internal damage, however before he can land on the ground Iron Fist is already on him and drills him with a high speed punch combo, a palm thrust to the temple and finally ending his assault by backing up and then ramming both glowing fists into man with just enough to take him out of the fight and out of action for the foreseeable future.

Danny takes a moment to make sure the man is down before calling it in.

"Iron Fist here, Bullseye is down."

-Great! Now can you get over here? This guy is giving me some trouble. — Daredevil spoke with urgency.

"On it." He replies as he gives the downed man one last look before going towards his ally.

_With Daredevil…_

Having finished calling for aid the guardian of Hell's Kitchen ducks under a sword slash and rolls to avoid another strike.

His battle had been going on with mixed results; from the information the Spartan had his opponent could not read his mind and thus his movements. However instead of discouraging him it seem to drive Mr. X into an even larger amount of blood lust to kill him.

"I do hope your little friends enjoy the sight of me impaling you on my blades, because quite frankly I find you not up to the task of facing me, I wonder how someone of Bullseye reputation could have so much trouble with such a weakling." The assassin mocks as he circles his foe.

Daredevil knew that he had to also keep his cool here; taunting foes was part and parcel of the life of being either hero or villain. And this guy Mr. X was becoming a major problem for him since this man's bloodlust was palpable and drove him onwards to harm even more who could be brought close to him.

He quickly moved to avoid a double sword slash, one coming from below on the left side diagonally, he also ducked as the other sword came sailing towards him and he blocked an incoming kick to his face with his baton and his arm behind it to reinforce the block. He quickly moved in and landed one hell of a punch to the chest to force him back.

The assassin growled before attacking him yet again as Matt quickly began to trade blows with him, using his baton to block one sword and moving it to block the other before leaping overhead to avoid a double stab at his chest by the assassin. Quickly ducking from another swing to land an angled side kick to the ribs of the man, Mr. X however ignored that and rushed Matt and landed a knee to the chest of the blind hero.

Daredevil grunted in pain but kept his head together and rolled along to get on his feet, however, Mr. X had learned enough of Daredevil from Bullseye that the man relied on hearing a great deal and his own sensory abilities would make him vulnerable. He quickly moved to a nearby empty barrel and hit it hard to cause sound waves to disorient the man.

"AGH!"

The move worked as Matt's vision of the battle field became utterly blurry as the sound waves disrupted his momentum and made him unable to move. It was only his innately honed danger sense that finally overrode the mess his sonar vision was in to avoid a slash to his neck and to move back, but not before the edge of one of Mr. X swords cut into his side.

He bit back the pain and quickly landed a punch and kick combo even though his accuracy was still messed up from the sonic assault to him. The punch might have missed Mr. X but the kick did not as it smashed into his face. The assassin snarled in pain as the blow had broken his nose and made him bleed as he moved back.

"So… I'm weakling huh? You may have figured out how disorient me, but I am still here and ready to fight."

"Perhaps, but that changes nothing!"

"Then prove it."

Mr. X said nothing and merely charged in, his blood lust already going on full throttle and he was more than ready to kill Daredevil. Matt knew that against someone like him, he had be careful until he had backup before he made a mistake which could be his last and he was no mood to let Kingpin win this one. Not by a bloody long shot and right now he was going to have to hold the line until Iron Fist came to his aid.

Mr. X was not going to make this the least bit easy however as Daredevil had to move quickly as the man continued to attack with a variety of slashes, all of which were to cut him into very bloody confetti and would have had it not been for his experience in combat like this. He also used his billy club to block some of the attacks and land with a few of his own that forced Mr. X back a ways to get him some breathing room. He could smell the scent of his blood from his wounds and also that of Mr. X, so far his wounds were not too bad but the same could be said for the merc as well.

"GGGGRRRRAAAAAA!"

The man charged at Matt and he quickly began blocking with his billy club as the swords moved and showers of sparks came from the contact. He was lucky to have this club of his improved somewhat since normal ones would have crumpled by now at the immense abuse he put them through as Daredevil, even more so when he was facing this maniac of a killer.

He blocked another slash aimed at decapitation and then ducked to avoid another but moved to the side to avoid a knee that could have decked him in the face had he stayed there a moment longer.

"Getting tired little devil? How boring but me? I can go all night!"

"Let's see about that." A voice suddenly erupted from his left followed by a glowing fist smashing against his and shattering his shades.

"Argh!"

"Let's see how you can handle a two on one." Danny says before he rushes in, he knew his opponent had a reach advantage with his swords but he was not the champion of Kun'Lun for nothing.

He jumped over a horizontal slash and spun right to both dodge a stab and delivers a backhand to the face his new opponent. X pulled back his head back but failed to see the club heading for him until it struck his forehead which caused both pain and disorientation…which the former got worse as he felt a hand chop to his right wrist with more force than normal break it and make him drop his sword while a well-placed kick took out the other sword and secondary kick launched him back into some crates.

"Thanks for the intervention; guy is as tough as he looks." He says to his colleague as both men look to see the merciless killer get up with a look of utter hatred etched on his face as he cradled his damaged arm.

"You think I will just lie down and roll over for you bastards?!"

"Face asshole, you have one good arm, you aren't fresh and there is two of us now. Give up so you can be sent to whatever deep dark abyss they send murderous scum like you to."

Mr. X simply gritted his bloodied teeth in anger at the truth of his situation; he reached behind him to pull one his last aces in cese things when t bad for him.

"This is not the last time you will see me! Not you, not your red clad bitch or any of you freaks!" The mercenary yells as he drops a small sphere that soon lets out a bright light and a loud boom that disoriented the heroes.

"Damn! Bastard had some kind of flashbang!" Daniel let out as he tried to get his eyes working again. Once he did he found their foe missing causing him to growl in annoyance, he would have pursued but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him and make him look at his companion.

"Let him go, we can't follow and I am not in any condition to help thanks to that stunt he pulled." Which was true as Matt was holding his head while his ears bled due to the explosive sound also making his balance be all over the place.

Daniel quickly placed the other man's arm over his shoulder and guides him to the meeting place as he was clearly out of the fight.

"Come on let's get you out of here while we can."

"Yeah…though I get the feeling we will meet that maniac once more." Daredevil can't help but say with a grimace.

"No doubt about it, guys like him won't let this go so in the meantime we better find some way to get ready, maybe ask the Spartan if he has something that can help."

"Ideas for another time, let's focus on the now yeah?"

Daniel simply bods before both make their way to leave, silently hoping for their friends safety and success.

_With Shang Chi…_

The clash of metal on metal rang as both the martial artist master and the skull masked mercenary fought tooth and nail to overcome each other. Both men had their respective advantages and weaknesses in this fight as Shan Chi had shorter reach despite the combat knives given to him but his combat experience and his knowledge of Chi manipulation gave him an edge. Taskmaster on the other hand knew how his opponent fought given their previous encounters as well his battles with other heroes and villains who carried special abilities, coupled with his longer reach and better defense made him a deadly match.

Shang rolled under a horizontal slash before he sent a swinging kick to the exposed knee of his adversary, Taskmaster jumped back and sent his shield down to break the leg but Shang had already moved it and rose with one knife in reverse grip rising dangerously fast to slash the man.

The mercenary leaned back but bit back a cry of pain as the slash cut the surface of his clothes and left an angry red line. It was just a flesh wound but it showed him not to take this lightly, in his profession life or death was determined by a single miscalculation.

He moved away from the Asian man while trying to regroup.

"Nice knives, they look like their military made but cut too cleanly for that." He comments to buy time to regroup.

"They are from a colleague, now quit stalling and surrender."

"I don't get paid to surrender, besides you make it sound like you're winning, this fight is far from over." Taskmaster retorts calmly.

"Your allies are falling to my friends, and you and I are evenly matched."

"Yeah but I don't see them helping, besides I just needed the breather." He says as he charges at the man and begins to strike at him with his sword and shield combination. He struck with a horizontal slash before spinning around to block an overhand strike with his shield then shoulder charged the other man's chest.

"Uff!" Shang let out as he fell back into a roll before getting up and crossing both knives to block a heavy blow of his opponent's blade. He spun right and focused his Chi on his right arm to ram the blade in his hand into the shield, hoping to both weaken it and maybe land a crippling blow to Taskmaster.

It was only half successful as the blade cut into the shield and through one of the leather straps but missed the arm holding it. Taskmaster took that moment to go for a sword slash to the head but Shang Chi countered with the other knife trapping the two in power struggle.

The skeletal mask hid the man's eyes as they narrowed, he drops the shield while grabbing his foe by the head and ramming it into his own before sending a fierce knee strike into the stomach and then viciously backhanding the martial artist.

Shang Chi did his best to ignore the pain as he rolled back to get on his feet once more, in a life or death struggle you did not want to get caught in unfavorable position. This proved true as Taskmaster swung his sword down to cleave him but Shang wasn't about to let that go unchallenged as he rolled left and kicked the other man's legs from under him.

Taskmaster simply used the fall to roll backwards to get some distance, once down he decides to improvise by reversing his sword position and aims it at the Asian hero. Of course he isn't the only one to think that strategy as Shang Chi quickly gets up and grabs the knife by blade and hurls it at the same time as his foe.

Both weapons flew in the air but sadly both men managed to get out of the way before they could hit their bodies. The sword went into burning stack of crates while the knife embedded itself into another. From there both men looked at each other for a moment, Shang Chi broke the tension first as he took a horse stance with his right hand facing his enemy palm open while his left fist was closed and near his chest.

"Heh, old school it is then." Taskmaster comments as he mirrors the man just to mock him. Shang Chi only frowned but inside he was angered by the blatant disrespect he was being showed for the martial arts which were one of the few things he took to heart, he showed this as he leaps into the fray.

Taskmaster quickly moved backward and then once he got some distance he also dodged a powerful punch and kick combination thrown at him by Shang Chi and began to fight back with blows of his own.

The mercenary was aware of Shang Chi, as martial artists' of exceptional talents always had reputations, good and bad even if they were heroes and villains. And Shang Chi was not to be underestimated even more so when the man was able to do moves that made anyone he fought be in immense pain.

Shang Chi also knew of Taskmaster and made sure to change his moves once in a while to avoid the man's infamous ability to copy a style with near perfect precision. He knew full well that this was a serious fight and he could ill afford to make a mistake. He blocked a series of high and low kicks in random patterns from the mercenary and then moved to attack. His own punch and kick combos were countered as they threw blows back and forth with one another.

Shang managed to get and opening and slammed a double palm strike into Taskmaster's chest to force him back in pain. He did not hesitate as hew charged in and landed a kick to the chest and then a spinning kick to the face of the mercenary that sent him crashing to the ground. The martial artist then did a diving attack with a knee strike that would have really hurt the man.

But Taskmaster did not become what he was by lying down as he quickly did a Capoeria style move and landed a heel kick to the side of Shang Chi who did not manage to block the blow in time.

"Ugh!"

"You will have to do better than that you cheap Bruce Lee rip off!" The masked mercenary taunts as his opponent rises and wipe some blood of his lip.

"One I do not take kindly to you using a fallen master name as an insult and two you have forgone any lenience I would give for it."

From there both men charged in and unleashed a flurry of punches, kicks, counters and blocks that not even a Hollywood film or professional fighter could ever reproduce. Both men ended up grappling each other in a test of strength, both men's eyes were firmly locked on their opponent as they tried to overpower each other. Taskmaster had more muscle and weight to his advantage but Shang Chi was firmly grounded and had his Chi to aid him.

"Grrr…just give up, you can't beat me little man." Taskmaster says as he tries to exert more force.

"Strange, I was about to say the same given that you have lost." The Chinese hero calmly replies despite the increase in pressure.

"And how did you get that brilliant idea."

"Simple…I have very good friends."

Taskmaster didn't have time to mull over the odd reply before he was forcibly grabbed from behind.

"Surprise asshole!" Luke Cage cries out as he raises the skull faced merc easily over his head before throwing him into a table.

*WHAM!*

"UGH!" Bouncing off the table and into a nearby stack the man was feeling more than his fair shares of bruises as he tasted blood in his mouth.

Luke turned towards his friend giving him a discrete check for any serious wounds.

"You ok Shang?"

"A bit bruised but well enough my friend, thank you for your timely arrival."

"Hey, we all got into this thing together no sense not to watch each other's backs bro." The protector of Harlem says with an easygoing smile.

"Cute…" Taskmaster sneers as he pulls an object from his back "…but let's see how good you really are!" he ends as he lobs the object which turns out to be…

"GRENADE!" Luke yells as he shoves Shang Chi back before he grabs the explosive and gets into a fetal position.

*BOOM!* the force hurls the man away while Taskmaster limps away.

"Luke!" Shang rushes to his smoking friend as the mercenary escapes, giving priority to him as he can't really abandon a comrade no matter what their power set is.

*COUGH!*

"Shit! That stings like a motherfucker!" Cage let out as he dusts off the grime and shrapnel "…fuck! That was my favorite shirt."

"Glad to see you are all right my friend." The martial artists say with a relieved look upon him.

"Take more than that to shut me down, now where is that piece of shit that blew me up?"

"Gone unfortunately, scurried away like the coward he is."

"Well at least we beat him, come on we got a bail, I heard Daredevil and the ladies are a bit more roughed up than us and I don't want to leave them alone no matter how good they are."

Shang agreed though not before he took the knives the Chief lent him and Taskmaster's sword, it would serve him as a reminder to be better prepared should they face off once more.

_With Spider-man & Black Cat…_

The fight between Spiderman, Black Cat, and Doctor Octopus was still going strong as the two heroes had to contend immensely with the arms that Ock still had to use in the fight itself.

While the mad scientist was not what one would call a physical powerhouse given his portly look, he knew how to use his mechanical appendages to their full extent with deadly results.

Black Cat saw this first hand as two crates flew by her as she tried to get a shot in with her borrowed M6. She tried to reach her fallen weapon but just as she was to reach it a metal tentacle slammed into it.

"Shit!"

"You think I shall fall so easily you wench?! I think not." Octavius growled as he began to slam two of his arms in pursuit of her as she ran, the doctor had other thoughts as one of his other arms slammed another crate towards making her avoid it but not a length of chain under her.

"FELICIA!"

The cry came out from Spider-Man as Felicia was now about to be struck by the tentacle of Doc Ock who clearly intended to crush her as she was still reeling from an accidental misstep that rendered her vulnerable. The sultry hero/thief managed to recover some of her wits but knew that she did not have enough time to react to get out of the way.

She instinctively moved her arms to block as to protect herself though she knew that this blow was going to hit her hard and fast. But just as she was getting ready to be hit…

CLANG!

That was not the sound of metal hitting flesh and Felicia opened her eyes to see none other than the Master Chief grabbing Ock's tentacle before it could hit her. She watched in utter surprise as the Spartan yanked hard to bring the crack pot away from her and to him.

The man's surprise turned to that of surprise and pain as John smashed one powerful punch right into the face. The man screamed in pain at that as the blow sent him reeling back as the Master Chief quickly rushed in and did an elbow charge into the insane scientist.

He turned to Felicia and speaks to her as he helps her stand.

"Are you all right Black Cat?"

Felicia nodded and accepting his help and why wouldn't she do that anyway? She wouldn't have minded to have Peter came to her aid but was not against having the Spartan save her. Now she had all the more reason to get a reaction out of this guy, plus see what he looked like underneath the helmet.

"DAMN YOU! I WILL TEAR YOU OUT OF THAT ARMOR!"

"_Careful Chief, he may seem like it but he is very dangerous with those arms of his._"

"Duly noted Cortana." He replies to his partner.

The Doctor came back, enraged at the interference of the Spartan and tried to blind side him. Only for his eyes to be suddenly blinded by web fluid and that stopped his attack as Spiderman quickly came in on a web line and then smashed a fist and kick into Ock as he replied.

"Sorry Ock, but not today!"

Spiderman, Black Cat, and the Chief now faced off with Octavius and the madman scientist, despite his arrogance knew that he was in for a sound thrashing. Still he was not going to give up and let the chance to finish off the two meddling fools and the Spartan get away. Ock heard of the man's reputation, but to him it mattered little as he was smarter than some freak in armor!

He charged again towards them unleashing two of his tentacles as both his weapons while using the others to defend himself from any more attacks. The Spartan quickly evaded the arms coming at him while shooting several rounds; the rounds in question were blocked by the other tentacles but this allowed Spiderman and Black Cat to close the distance while John provided long range support.

Ock was further angered and quickly moves back and forced Spider-man back as he lashed out with one tentacle, but Felicia was quick to take advantage of the incoming strike and landed a slash of her claws on the man's face.

"AAAAAAGGGGGG!"

"Aw, is the little doctor afraid to play rough?"

"_I like her style, direct and to the point._" Cortana comments with a satisfied tone.

That was more than enough to anger Ock as Felicia gave him a cheeky smirk, he attempts to attack her for her insolence, only for Peter to come in and land a punch into the face right where the fresh wounds were, followed by another blast of webbing into his glasses, blinding him as Spiderman flipped backward and landed a kick right into the chin.

"GGGAAAAAHHHH!"

Peter landed well enough but his spider sense flared a moment to late as Doctor Octopus managed to hit him hard with a blow from one of the tentacles that flailed about, a lucky hit as it were as Peter was sent back.

Felicia moves to help him as she sees him clutching his ribs, as for the villain he manages to tear off the webbing and snarled as he attacked once more at the two, only for John to take a more serious move as he fired several bursts from his Battle Rifle to force Ock to face him as he quickly charged in.

Time slowed down as he was avoiding the blows as Spartan time kicked in and landed another punch into Ock's chest, sending the man back in pain, and he followed it by a rifle butt right in the nose

*CRUNCH!*

"Argh!" …spills more blood as Ock's nose was shattered.

This allowed both Peter and Felicia to come in and land an assault of their own as they got inside the scientific villain's guard. Peter fired two long thick web lines on nearby posts and pulled back quickly while Felicia moved in towards the still reeling man. She landed several fast punches on Ock and when he recovered to hit her with his fists and tentacles, she moved back and leaped upward…allowing Peter to launch himself with a drop kick, hitting Ock hard and sending him flying into nearby crates he did not get back up.

The three looked at their handiwork and Felicia whistled.

"Damn…that was one hell of a beat down."

"Yeah…ow!"

Peter said as he yelped a bit in pain from the hits and his bruised ribs, Felicia was concerned by that even though she too was feeling the hits she got. John saw that and quickly scanned the two and did not like what he saw, some severe bruising and scrapes, and cuts to be sure, but thankfully no broken bones or worse. Compared to the horrific injuries he saw and had on him and his fellow Spartans, they were lucky, but that didn't mean he hardly liked it.

He quickly took out some polypseudomorphine injectors from his flatspace storage areas.

"Here, synthetic morphine without the addiction effects should help with the pain until we can get medical treatment on board the Dawn.

Felicia was reluctant given the name morphine involved but seeing Peter willing espose his arm finally made her go for it. And soon as the medicine was administered the pain for the two faded quickly as the drug did its work. Peter was pleased with that as the aches disappeared from him and he felt better, and the same went for Felicia as well.

"Thanks Chief, this should time me over until we secure the goons for the cops." Peter says to the soldier.

"As well as SHIELD as I had previously notified Fury of our actions before the operation began, can't let the chance for men like Rhino or Tombstone to get loose."

"Smart, I like that in a man." Felicia says with a smirk directed at the Chief who simply lets it go over his head while ignoring Cortana's chuckles. They soon began to secure the area and get a sitrep from the others before he had the Monitor and Commander Keyes transport them to the med wing of the Dawn.

_Minutes later…_

The Chief, Cat and Spider-man were looking off to the side as Rhino, Bullseye, Tombstone were carted off into the SHIELD transport. The two metahumans having been tagged with power suppressors to make them less of a threat.

Chief was not happy with the escape of Deadpool, Taskmaster and Mr. X but he supposes it was too much to expect the plan to completely without a hitch.

"_Cheer up Chief, they'll pop up and when they do you can deal with them._"

"Perhaps but I want you and Redeeming to set up surveillance on the heroes. We can't let those three make a move to get revenge on the others just because they helped us."

"_You got Chief; shall I have Miranda inform Luke and the others on the Dawn?_"

"Yes, I shall tell Ms. Hardy and Mr. Parker."

"_Oh? I am very sure she will appreciate the thought…perhaps even asked for you to be her _personal_ bodyguard hmm?_"

John really wished he could bang his helmet right now, Cortana was a good partner and friend when things got rough but sometimes she seem to find ways to push his buttons. He stowed those thoughts away as he noticed someone approaching them, it turned out to be none other than Nick Fury himself.

"Director Fury…" The Chief replied as he saluted the man as years of military doctrine came to the forefront "…I was not aware you would be here as well sir."

Fury returned the salute to the man before answering.

"I was curious on what I would find here after you told me about your operation here, normally I wouldn't normally come in person unless the situation called for it but I wanted to see how you handle leading a team of capes."

"It was a unique experience working with people with such unique backgrounds and skill sets. Still I shall take this experience and learn from it, I am planning on documenting an AAR later, I shall share with you should you require any further details of what transpired tonight."

"Hmm, good it may come in handy later; I wish all my men would be as thorough as you Spartan." The WWII veteran replies with a smirk, he did wish he had men as dedicated as the Master Chief as only a few of them could meet his standard such as Dugan or Countess Fontaine.

***Shame he is loyal to the UNSC…wonder if I could work something out with his superiors?*** He couldn't help but think.

It was at that moment he spotted Octavius being carried out while unconscious, he frowned when he saw that his arms were not secured properly.

"Agents!" He barks out as he powerwalks up to them "…why are this prisoner's weapons not secured?!"

"Uh sir we did not anticipate the capture of Octavius so we did not bring the necessary restraints." The agent on his right stammered.

"Did I or did I NOT state to be prepared for every contingency?! And here I find that is not the case. So help me I will have you on toilet duty for a…" Sadly he did not finish as said prisoner chose to rouse himself at that moment and immediately got rid of his guards by impaling them on his arms.

This was before turning to look at Fury and already wrapping one arm around him while his human hand moved to get one of the Director's handguns…what happened next no one saw coming.

For John and Cortana everything slowed down the moment Octavius struck the two agents dead. As the Master Chief reached for his battle rifle he and Cortana's minds raced with every possible scenario of how this would play out.

Otto would make demands and take Fury to escape…Kill Fury and escape in the chaos…take him and kill him later to sow disorder as SHIELD fell in disarray…

Anything was possible at this moment and none of it good; the mad scientist was deranged and desperate two bad ingredients to a recipe of disaster…if they allowed the events to come. There was no easy choice for what they were both about to do, and yes Cortana believed she was just as involved, and the ramifications would be many, but he could live with that for the greater good to be served.

She had already determined air resistance, all angles, damage assessment and sent all of that and more into his HUD as a target vector was assigned to the villain. John out of the corner of his eye spotted Peter and Felicia just turning towards him, he honestly hoped this would not completely sour their view of him as he found them to be good allies but he would cross that bridge when it came.

Peter saw the Spartan moving, saw the rifle come to bear and his trigger finger pulling back, deep down he just knew that he couldn't stop what was to come even as he moved to intervene.

Everyone heard the weapon fire with a loud bang, the air being torn as the bullet moved through it at great speed…then they heard the sickening sound of flesh being torn. The sight of Otto's head knocked back as blood escaped the garish hole at the back of his head as his metallic arms gave a spasm while his body fell back was not something many would forget in the days to come.

There laid one Otto Octavius, Doctor Octopus as some came to know him in infamy, a pool of blood slowly growing. All eyes move from him to the Spartan who still held the weapon and all asking themselves one simple question… What to do now?

To be continued…

So yeah…that just happened, I had the Chief take out Otto and you all more than likely know why I had him taken out so I need not explain my reason for choosing him. Call me petty if you but it was high time I created a divergence (please don't make a comment about that God awful movie!) and this was the one. Before anyone asks yes there will be an aftermath to this and yes it was necessary to have Fury be saved by the Chief as I will need to use that later on for something I have planned for Laura AKA X-23.

Moving on to another less grim subject, a lot of people rooting for Jen as the final pairing but we still have a ways to go and it is Storm's turn as soon as I can think of a setting. Who will it be after that I can't say for certain though I am debating if Felicia should be involved as well, I feel that she could be left out and if I go OMD use her as Peter's new lover but then again I may not go there only time will tell.

So let's answer some reviews shall we?

booman980: to be honest I have considered it but I just can't think of a proper setting, it's the same problem I have with trying to come up with a way to introduce the UNSC crew to the supernatural aspect of Marvel.

dlm4: Thanks for the support though I may need to add something to explain why Doc Halsey and her group are there and not on Onyx, I just don't want to delve to deeply in to the new series that is post H3…that and I am NOT a fan of what Karen Traviss has done in her trilogy but I d need to add something as I can't ignore all of it.

mcknight93: Thanks for the review, I hope to see more of your work as well my friend.

House of M will be tricky, I had an idea where he and the UNSC crew establish a little niche for themselves where humans and mutants have equal rights as opposed to the status quo of Mutants first humans last. Perhaps have him have children there as well with his chosen character as his wife.

Civil War is another challenge but I do have a better grasp of what I want done there with the Chief and the crew.

Well I have been thinking about OMD as well when I have the time and thinking up the pros and cons of letting it happen as well who would take her place.

Father L: Good to hear from you my friend, I will take your comments under advisement, I am sure they will help when the time comes.

WOLF: First off congratulations on guessing who the character was, I will try to develop a chapter with the Chief and Storm when I have the time. Glad you find my efforts to humanize the Chief; I feel it is needed just as much as having him be a badass.

Well I did the best I could here and I hope you enjoy this chapter, if not well I will have to do better next time eh? I will be working on updating my other works (my KP stories first as well as getting my Marvel/BTVS caught with the rest of the stories) so it will be a while before I get back to this one and its DC counterpart.

Now if you will excuse me…Deadpool, do you have the items I gave you?

"Yeah."

Have you read my instructions?

"Yeah. To the letter boss."

Have you procured "it"?

"Just got back from there, still fresh though they removed the arms."

Pity, but we will move forward with the plan, now go forth and all will be forgiven as well as handsomely rewarded if you succeed in your mission.

"Ok, later HOK, I got's me some people to piss off!"

Excellent (a la Monty Burns pose included) all goes according to plan, MWA HA HA HA HA HA!


End file.
